August 17, 2016

Eat, drink and sleep: Champagne

All told, Champagne produced about 307 million bottles in 2015, just a little less than Prosecco which now holds the crown of the largest sparkling wine producer, stolen form Champagne two years ago. Ten percent of the region’s production is drunk here in the UK, making us the largest consumer of Champagne in the world outside France, thus a pilgrimage to Champagne is – I think – a duty. And if the world’s greatest sparkling wine wasn’t reason enough to visit, Champagne recently became a UNESCO world heritage site. The region has fashioned an image of itself that is all about luxury and glitz; but if you visit the region and stop by at any little producer you drive past, not far beneath the glitz are many dedicated artisans in tiny villages, looking to produce something that reflects their specific terroir. It might not have the most dramatic scenery but those gentle slopes, that chalk soil and – of course – the Champagnes draw me back at least twice a year.