Cramant is one of the picturesque villages of France's Champagne region, easily accessible from Paris. No luxury holiday is complete without a glass of champagne. Head to the region this decadent drink comes from, where you can explore historic cellars, find delightful accommodations, and savour Michelin-starred dining. No wonder so many of us want to explore the region that gives its name to the drink, with its corduroy-striped vineyards laid over the land while beneath, hundreds of kilometres of cellars and passageways store a ridiculous number of bottles.
It was in the abbey here that 17th-century cellar master Dom Perignon tasted his first fizz and refined its production, with the help of Dom Ruinart; their tombs are in the church. Lounge by the pool while sipping their own Pierre Fedyk label or rent electric bikes to explore. My favourite tipple and tour is offered by family-run Voirin Jumel in the premier cru village of Cramant.
When staying in Reims, I prefer to be within walking distance of the sites. With its impressive ceiling and metallic bar, the restaurant is an atmospheric place for a drink and serves good food. I loved les Suites du 33 at Champagne de Venoge, which makes its own Cordon Bleu range as well as the more expensive Princes, in teardrop-shaped bottles.
Here, I tucked into a tasting with tapas in the former stables, with blue banquettes and round lights reminiscent of champagne bubbles, after a tour of the 19th-century chateau with its modern cellar. Unless you want to start with your favourite brand, Mumm in Reims is a good starting point to see the sheer scale of its 25km of cellar galleries that include a central tunnel dubbed the Champs Elysees and streets named after champagne-producing villages.
Although the cellars all impart the same information, some have specific USPs; I found those in Reims to have the most interesting stories. For instance, Veuve Clicquot is named after the widow who in became the first woman to run a champagne house. She also invented the riddling rack, which positions bottles upside down to gather sediment formed after the second fermentation.
