Wine Tour Champagne
Champagne is a very nice area to visit not only because of its world-famous vineyards and properties such as Krug, Roederer, Mumm and many others, but also because of its two main cities : Reims and Epernay.
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Reims is especially known for its magnificent Cathedral - Notre Dame de Reims - which started to be erected in 1211. This masterpiece of Gothic art also bears a historical value as all French kings were crowned in this Cathedral. Moreover, all the stained glass windows of the chapel were created by Chagall in 1974. Today, this monument is considered as part of the World Heritage and protected by UNESCO. |
Three other monuments of the city are listed as part of the World Heritage : the Tau Palace, Saint-Remi Basilica and Saint-Remi Abbey.
The Tau Palace used to be the Archbishop's Palace. It was built in 1690 and today it houses the Cathedral's museum. Saint-Remi basilica is a fine example of early Gothic style which was built as a shrine to Saint-Remi. Finally Saint-Remi Benedictine Abbey is also worth visiting as this classical building houses the Museum of History and Archeology of the city.
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As for Epernay, the capital of the grape-growing area, it is located just 1h30 away from Paris. Although the city dates back from as early as the 5th century, it really became the thriving heart of Champagne area in the 19th century, when all the merchants decided to settled there, on the famous Avenue de Champagne. Today , the street is still lined up with those magnifiscent town houses where most well-known producers have established their head office. Needless to say that you cannot leave Epernay without visiting one of the numerous underground cellars dug directly out of the chalky soil and where millions of Champagne bottles age slowly.
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