“It’s not real champagne, unless it’s from the Champagne region of France.” That’s what they always say… so fine, off to Champagne we go!

Early on a crisp November morning, our guide, Tomer, picked us up and we took the 2 hour drive out of Paris to Champagne. Like Bordeaux, Champagne is an appellation where the terroir and traditions are recognized as unique enough that only wineries in that specific region, that follow specific rules, are allowed to place the region on their labels.

When we arrived in Champagne, our guide pulled us over at the top of a hill to reveal some of the most beautiful and serene countryside I had seen in quite some time. The rolling hills full of vines was like an old painting in the early morning light, and seemed to go on forever.

Our first stop was Dom Caudron in Passy-Grigny. This was a commune winery where the grapes of the area were all brought to this central location and juiced together. The juice was then divided back up to the commune members or used to make Dom Caudron champagne, named after the priest who funded the commune hundreds of years ago.

We were first led back out of the tasting/museum area and around the block to another building where we were able to watch a video about the winery and then check out their juicing, fermenting and storage areas.

Then we went back and were treated to three of their champagnes. The Prédiction, the Épicurienne and the Fascinante. They were all good, but I enjoyed the Prédiction the most, and ended up buying a demi-sec of that label.

Next we visited a restaurant called Restaurant Le Théâtre in Epernay. There we were treated to an amuse bouche of tomato puree and pea puree with a small shrimp. I tried the pheasant terrine, which my friends wouldn’t touch. Next, for my entree, I had some fantastic lemon chicken stuffed with snails and crab with a nice light gravy over assorted vegetables.

Finally, I had “crispy figs” which was a nice baked fig in fillo dough with a nice almond cream. Others at the table tried a tuna salad, pork medallions, redfish with fennel, and more. Tomer regaled us with tales of the area, including the fact that the bullet holes we saw on the side of the theater across the street, for which the restaurant is named, were in fact from World War 1, not 2, because that area of France didn’t see much battle in the Second Great War.

After that delightful lunch, we explored the church where the famous Dom Pierre Perignon is buried, Saint-Sindulphe in Hautvillers (Église Saint-Sindulphe de l’Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers). The grounds are nestled among the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and open to the public year round. It was an interesting abbey, and well worth stopping by just for the older architecture.

We went to a small park area behind the grounds that offered another picturesque view of the area, this time from the exact opposite side of the valley from where we first entered the region.

There we were taught how to properly saber a bottle of champagne, and enjoyed our glasses as we took in the scenery.

We headed back to Epernay, and visited the Moet et Chandon estate. After hanging out in a waiting room, our guide Amelia, gave us a lesson on the history of the fine winery (which is now part of the Louis Vuitton brand). She then took us down into the caves where hundreds of years of vintages are stored and continued our lessons.

After all the buildup, our entire group was practically bubbling to taste all this great champagne we kept walking past. We were not disappointed as Amelia and the tasting room attendants delivered healthy pours of the Imperial from multiple years, and the rose imperial. This is where Dom Perignon is made as well as Moet and Chandon, so it was cool to see all the different levels of champagne on offer in their shop. I grabbed a bottle of the Moet et Chandon Rose Imperial, while my friends grabbed a nice bottle of Dom Perignon from the year they were married. I wonder if they’ll make it to their 10 year anniversary before they break down and pop it open.

As our day wined down, Tomer had one final stop for us. We rolled through the city of Reims and explored the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Reims, another world heritage site. This church was not just an example of amazing gothic architecture, but also one of the most intricately detailed churches I’ve seen around the world. Everywhere you looked there was some different carving in the stonework representing some different catholic symbolism.

As we drove the 2 hours back to Paris, full and happy, we couldn’t help but appreciate the scenery that flew past our van windows. In a lot of ways, the countryside of Paris reminded me a lot of some areas of the United States. But the food and champagne we enjoyed all day were decidedly not American, they were French, and they were delicious. This region gave me a new appreciation of the country that I hadn’t had before, and isn’t that what traveling is all about?