Tours

For friendly expertise to assist you in touring France at your own pace, contact DMI Tours.

 

Taittinger Champagne House

At Taittinger, an historic eighteenth century champagne house in Reims, the chalky geology manifests in huge white underground cellars. These chalk caverns, known as crayeres, were excavated by Romans some 2000 years ago for building projects.

Champagne gets its bubbles from a second fermentation which is created by adding yeast and sugar to the wine. Every day for several weeks the bottles receive a brisk quarter turn. This is called riddling, and it moves the yeast sediment toward the neck of the bottle.

The yeast is then disgorged from the bottles, a process you can witness it upstairs at Taittinger. The bottles tops are dipped in icy liquid brine, the yeast freezes instantly and it is popped out. A “dosage”of wine and sugar is added to sweeten the champagne and fill up the bottle. The bottle is re-corked and left to age.

Of course the highlight of any Taittinger tour is the tasting room.

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To learn how to read a champagne label, click here.

 

Palais du Tau

After their coronations, the newly crowned kings gathered for a party here in the grand hall in the Palais du Tau right next to the church.

Adorning the walls, 15th century tapestries tell the story of King Clovis. His wife, Clothide, pressed him to convert to Christianity, but he adamantly refused. One day, in a deadly battle, the king prayed to the God of Clothide to assist him. He won the fight and converted instantly.

Royal presents, reliquaries, and chalices sparkle in the Palace’s Treasury. In the Salle de Charles X you can see the royal cloak worn by Charles himself in his 1825 coronation.

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Bring your own guide book. Palace du Tau brochures are in French. For more information, visit www.monum.fr.

 

The Quest For Glassware

Ana is after a set of royal chalices for her fine champagne. Our quest in the shops of Reims is to find the ideal champagne flute.

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More information about Lalique Glassware is available at www.lalique.com.

 

Chocolate. French chocolate.

Troyes is a dream of a town, straight from the pages of a storybook. Once, a textile trading center, Troyes hosted huge Champagne Fairs in the 12th and 13th centuries where textiles as well as other goods were traded. Troubadours sang in the streets. Bear trainers, dancing girls and puppeteers vied for the crowd’s attention. The counts of Champagne guaranteed safe passage to and from the fairs to merchants and buyers.

It follows that a fanciful town like Troyes would harbor a world famous chocolatier in its pretty streets. Pascal Caffet is not a mere confectioner, he is an artisan, known all over France for his chocolates.

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Find out about ordering French chocolate on the web at www.zchocolat.com.

 

Champagne Houses

A grower in Champagne knows the different parcels land by the taste of its champagne. A neighbor’s vintage might be described as having a scent of grapefruits, an aroma of walnuts, as chocolatey, buttery, long, and, on the bad side, musty, flabby, or green. These varied flavors come from the soil, the air, the types of grapes and the aging process.

Stopping in at a small grower is one of the great pleasures of a champagne tour. Look for signs that say “degustation” or “tasting.”

Launois, father and son, run this lovely estate in Mesnil-sur-Oger. Son-in-law Benoît Marguet shared a glass with us and told us about the estate. In addition to making champagne, the family preserves the tradition in a fascinating underground museum devoted to the winemaking utensils of the past.

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Discover more about champagne houses and routes at www.champagne.fr.

 

Festival of Marionettes

Charleville’s unusual clock of the Marionette enacts a short drama on the hour. A huge Festival of Marionettes takes place in Charleville every three years and draws puppeteers from all corners of the globe. For ten magical days, more than 250 companies perform for hundreds of thousands of spectators and the entire town becomes a vast theatre.

If you don’t catch the festival you can inquire about performances at the Institute of the Marionette where students regularly put on strange, fascinating and original shows.

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Contact the Charleville Tourist Office for more information on the Institute puppet shows.

Find out more about the Festival of Marionettes at perso.wanadoo.fr.

Contact information for the Institute of the Marionette can be found at www.marionnette.com.

 

Fortress of Sedan

Not far outside of Charleville, the medieval fortress of Sedan commands an entire hill. One of the largest fortresses in Europe, Sedan was begun in 1424 and work continued through the 17th century. The fortress saw much strife, especially with Prussia.

Here on September 1st, 1870, Napoleon the Third, nephew of the more famous Napoleon, found himself and his army surrounded by Prussian troupes. The battle signaled the rise of German military might and the end of Napoleon’s nepotistic career as Emperor of France.

Upstairs in the vast tower, note the wonderfully preserved 15th century black walnut roof – a web of timber. Standing on the tower ramparts, you can imagine centuries of princes scanning the vista, their town and forests stretched out below.

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Visit Sedan in May for the colorful medieval festival. Details can be found at www.medieval-sedan.com.

 

• Taittinger Champagne House
• Palace du Tau
• Glassware
• Chocolate
• Champagne Houses
• Festival of Marionettes
• Fortress of Sedan