Like the flower auction, visiting a champagne house was something I would have never planned for myself. But it turned out to be a great and unique experience.
There are quite a few champagne houses in and around the city of Reims. The one we chose to visit was the Taittinger champagne house, built on top of the ruins of Abbey Saint-Nicaise, which dates back to the 13th century.
A short introduction video later, we were led deep underground, into chalk caves where rows upon rows of champagnes were stored and awaiting maturation.
Everywhere you looked, there were racks of champagnes waiting to be turned.
And a maze of side-caves and tunnels, to which there were no rhyme or reason.
Every now and then, we encountered a wall of champagne bottles, some ten-twenty deep.
That is A LOT of champagne.
The original stairs leading up to the now defunct abbey.
Fun Trivia: Did you know that champagne can come in a range of sizes?
From the Demi (1/2 bottle) to Sovereign (35 bottles), and everything in between. Most of the larger bottles are named after biblical kings.
The roof of one of the caves.
These chalk caves actually date back far older than the abbey's 13th century. They are what remains of Roman chalk quarries. The pyramidal shape of the roof and the surface scratch marks were techniques applied to reduce chances of cave-ins.
During the world wars, these caves were used as shelters. So carving doodles, like the horse below, were left all over the walls as people waited for the air raids to be over.
Haha, you know I had to.
It wouldn't have been a proper visit without some champagne tasting, or so I was told.We tried 4-5 different champagnes. And I have to say, they all tasted pretty good to a novice like me. Carbonated grape juice for adults.
Still, my tolerance level for alcohol is still as low as ever. By the end of the tasting round, I was already starting to feel the adverse effects and that was after only a few small sips altogether.
That being said, I'm perfectly happy sacrificing my liver's alcohol metabolism for a more efficient lipid metabolism.
Lunch: Brasserie Flo
Dinner: Brasserie Le Jardin
These are really cool photos (for a cool visit!). What is the 20-bottle-deep wall for? Are those empty bottles waiting to be filled?
ReplyDeletePassed out drunk besides the champagne crates while Tsar. That's living, isn't it?
I have a super low tolerance as well for alcohol, so ... *high fives*
I know right? And with so much history!
DeleteThe bottles are all full of champagne that are still maturing, I believe.
Did you know that Peter the Great lived in Amsterdam for a brief period so he can learn shipbuilding? He was already Tsar at this point, too. What a character.
*high fives back*