Bubbly's Best

By Alice Feiring

If you love bubbly, then a trip to the Champagne region of France--about an hour-plus train ride from Paris--is worth the jaunt. But be forewarned: the climate can be lousy. I was as chilled as a glass of Blanc de Blanc while visiting one of Moet & Chandon's vineyards near Epernay in July. The generally crummy weather is considered one of the key ingredients besides the area's chalky, bone-white soil that help this region of France produce the best of bubbly.

Two days should suffice for an even-paced visit that includes the essential comforts (great food and lodging) and exciting champagne. Experience the Grande Marques--the Clicquots, Moets and others that make world-class, world-recognized wines. Art lovers should visit the impressive chalk caves of Champagne Pommery in the town of Reims, where edgy art installations and Art Nouveau carvings adorn the 20 million bottles of champagne resting inside. While most wineries are open to visitors, some houses, like Krug, Salon and Bollinger, are open only by appointment, and it helps to know someone.

But to peer deeply into the soul of the region, you must visit the independent producers, makers of the so-called grower champagnes. Such vignerons carry on a love affair with their land, often treating the soil and environment with reverential respect. It shows in their complex wines. If you call for an appointment, they will receive you with grace. Some of those I visited and adored were Camille Saves in Bouzy, Jacquesson in Dizy, Larmandier-Bernier in Vertus and Leclerc Briant in Epernay.

Pascal Leclerc Briant has an eccentric flair as well as an ability to make beautiful champagnes. If you inquire ahead (see leclercbriant.com) for a smallish fee you can rappel down into his caves or learn to saber a champagne bottle. Holding the thick sword on the bottle's neck, I didn't think I could do it. But I shouted like a little kid when I sliced off the bottle's top in one swift swoop. There's something about the region that helps everyone's bubbles rise to the surface.