[su_quote cite=”Lily Bollinger” url=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollinger#Expansion_under_Lilly_Bollinger”]I only drink champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone.
When I have company, I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am.
Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.[/su_quote]
Champagne arouses the senses: the eyes feast on vines parading up hillsides and vertical processions of tiny, sparkling bubbles; the nose breathes in damp soil and the heavenly bouquet of fermentation; the ears rejoice at the clink of glasses and the barely audible fizz; and the palate tingles with every sip. The imagination and the intellect are engaged as Champagne cellar visits reveal the magical processes – governed by the strictest of rules – that transform the world’s most pampered pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes into this region’s most fabled wines.
Despite the prestige of their vines, the people of Champagne offer a warm, surprisingly easy-going welcome, both in the stylish cities and along the Champagne Routes, which wend their way through villages to family-run cellars and vineyards.
Our annual family weekend this year led us to this wonderful place. A truly beautiful province where once kings where crowned and now a new type of liquid gold is grown on its rich soils. Be sure to visit the excellent house of Michel Turgy, a small family house that caters to all your senses when it comes to Champagne.