Champagne in France

General site. www.champagnes.fr

General site. wine.about.com

Tourist information. www.tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com

Tourist information. www.tourisme-en-champagne.com

Reims Tourist Office. www.reims-tourisme.com

Some useful information. www.intowine.com

Another useful site for obscure champagnes and prices. www.thechampagne-avenue.com

More links to individual producers. www.espacechampagne.com

Epernay Tourist Office. www.epernay.fr / www.ot-epernay.fr

Branded Champagnes

Lanson. www.lanson.tm.fr

Mercier. www.champagnemercier.fr

Moet. www.moet.com

Mumm. www.mumm.com

Piper Heidsieck. www.piper-heidsieck.com

Pommery. www.pommery.fr

Tattinger. www.taittinger.com

Books

Christie's World of Champagne and Sparkling Wine (Tom Stevenson)

Wine links

Champagne terms

Cuvee - Blend, RICH - Sweetest, DOUX - Very sweet, DEMI SEC - Sweet, SEC - Slightly sweet, BRUT - Dry, EXTRA BRUT - Dry, BRUT NATURE - Very dry.

Bottle sizes

Sabrage - the Napoleonic Art of Sabrage involves uncorking a champagne bottle with a sword. The tradition is still kept alive by the Confrérie du Sabre d'Or, the official society dedicated to promotion of the Art of Sabrage in the United Kingdom and abroad. www.goldensabre.co.uk

- Grape Escapes, learn about and try Sabrage yourself. Tel: 08707 667 617. www.grapeescapes.net

Types of Champagne

Vintage - The wine of one outstanding year. Usually benefit from at least 3 years ageing.

Non-vintage - A blend of several years - accounts for 75% of all champagne produced. Keep for a year at least.

Blanc de blancs - Made from the juice of chardonnay (white) grapes only. Needs to be aged - the longer you age it the more tasty it becomes. Tends to be lighter than Blanc de noirs.

Blanc de noirs - Made exclusively from black grapes (Pinot Noir) and produces the palest possible wine.

Crément - Half sparkling

Rosé - Pink Champagne made by blending in a little red wine. Pure pinot noir rosé is usually richer.

Réserve - Any wine can be called réserve

Récemment dégorgé - Wine laid to mature upside down, and disgorged when considered ready to drink.

Prestige cuvée - Expensive - should be treated like a super vintage.

Useful information

Tip - look for RM (récoltants-manipulants) for champagnes, less polished and finely honed than the grandes marques, but which have a concentrated local character). Most champagnes are drunk very young nowadays - although they should really be kept for a few years.

For a cheaper but often as good option, try a Crement wine - an up-market sparkling wine made by the champagne method, important in Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Loire regions.

Trains: Cour de la Gare, not far from Place de la Republique. Lots of trains to and from Paris (about 18 per day) and Reims (about 16 per day)

Buses: STDM. Tel: 0033 326 65 17 07

Public Transportation: Sparnabus, rue E. Duch. Tel: 0033 326 55 55 50.

Champagne Houses

- If you want to sample a wide range of champagnes easily why not visit C Comme at 8 rue Gambetta, 51200 Epernay. Tel:0033 326 32 09 55. "C Comme, Champagne of Proprietaire" is a space entirely dedicated to the wines from champagne. More than 350 champagnes are at your disposal to buy or to taste". www.c-comme.fr

In Reims you will finds the following champagne houses; Pommery, G.H. Mumm, Lanson, Charles de Cazenove, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Taitinger.

In Epernay: Moet et Chandon, Perrier Jouet, Mercier, de Castellane.

Moet et Chandon remains one of the most prestigious houses, best known for vintage Dom Perignon. Krug Grand Cuvee is generally light and elegant with a faint aroma of vanilla. Roederer Cristal is a big, creamy, classic champagne. Laurent Perrier's non-vintage is generally one of the best buys. Try Bollinger Cuvee Tradition for a classic, robust and complex champagne to remember. Other brands; Alfred Gratien, Billecart-Salmon, Charles Heidsieck, De Venoge, Henriot, Gosset, Jacquesson, Lanson, Pol Roger, Pommery, Ruinart, Salon, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot.

Champagne Ayala. Château d'Ay, 2, Bd. du Nord, 51160. Ay. Tel: 0033 326 55 15 44 / Fax: 0033 326 51 09 04. Small independent producer. www.champagne-ayala.fr

Champagne Canard-Duchêne. 12 rue du Temple, 51100. Reims. Tel: 0033 326 61 11 60. Ranked 3rd most popular Champagne brand in France, the world's largest champagne market. Tours by appointment only. www.canard-duchene.fr

Champagne Castellane. Tel: 0033 326 51 19 19 / Fax: 0033 326 54 24 81. Labelled with the famous red St. André cross. Home page gives information about the de Castellane tower in the heart of Epernay, the museum on champagne production and the butterfly garden. www.castellane.com

Champagne Charles Heidsieck. 4, Bd. Henry Vasnier, 51100. Reims. Tel: 0033 326 84 43 50 / Fax: 0033 326 84 43 90. Produced a celebratory bottle for the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi family of Monaco in 1997. Also produces the "Champagne Charlie" variety, so-called because of its founder's nickname on arriving in USA. Tours by appointment only. www.charlesheidsieck.com

Champagne Déhu, Père et fils. 3 rue St Georges, 02650 Fossoy. www.champagne-dehu.com

Champagne Drappier. Rue des Vignes, 10200 Urville-France. www.champagne-drappier.com

Champagne Guy de Forez. Route de tonnerre, 10340 Les Riceys. www.guydeforez-riceys.com

Champagne Edouard Brun. Home page gives information about the product range and special offers. In English and French. Champagne Gosset. 69, rue J. Blondeau, BP7, 51160. Ay. Tel: 0033 326 56 99 56 / Fax: 0033 326 51 55 88. www.champagne-edouard-brun.fr

Champagne Epernay. Tel: 0033 32653 33 00.

Champagne Hamm. One of the younger champagne houses, founded in 1910. www.champagne-hamm-ay.com

Champagne Jacquart. Reims. www.a-jacquart-fils.com

Champagne Krug. 5, rue Coquebert, 51100. Reims. Tel: 0033 326 84 44 20 / Fax: 0033 326 84 44 29. Used by Maxim's restaurant in Paris to celebrate their 80th birthday. One of the oldest champagne houses, founded in 1729. Still uses traditional methods and each barrel is made by hand. Tours by appointment, on weekdays only. www.krug.com

Champagne Lanson. 12, Bd. Lundy, 51056. Reims. Tel: 0033 326 78 50 50 / Fax: 0033 326 78 50 99. Founded in 1760. Tours by appointment, on weekdays only. www.lanson.tm.fr

Champagne Laurent Perrier. 51150. Tours-sur-Marne. Tel: 0033 326 58 91 22 / Fax: 0033 326 58 77 29. Tours by appointment only in English, French, German and Spanish. www.laurent-perrier.fr

Champagne Leclerc Briant. 67, rue Chaude Ruelle, 51204 Epernay. Tel: 0033 326 54 45 33 / Fax: 0033 326 54 49 59. Home page includes information for importers and about vineyards, wine-making, cuvées and the cellars. In English and French. www.leclercbriant.com

Champagne Louis Roederer. 21, Bd. Lundy, 51100 Reims. Tel: 0033 326 40 42 11 / Fax: 0033 326 61 40 35. Tours by appointment and recommendation only. www.champagne-roederer.com

Champagne Mercier. 68, avenue de Champagne, Epernay. www.champagnemercier.fr

Moet & Chandon. 20, avenue de Champagne, Epernay. Founded by Claude Moet in 1743. Site includes the Trianon mansion, built for Napoleon Bonaparte and his entourage for their champagne buying visits. Museum. Tel: 0033 333 26 51 20. Open: daily from 9.00 - 11.00am, 2.00 - 4.30pm. www.moet.com

Champagne GH Mumm & Cie. 34 rue du Champs de Mars, 51100 Reims. Tel: 0033 326 49 59 70 / Fax: 0033 326 49 59 01. Founded in 1827 by a family of German wine merchants. www.mumm.com

Champagne Pannier. 23 rue Roger Catillon, 02400 Château-Thierry. www.champagnepannier.com

Champagne Perrier Jouet. Epernay. Producers of the famous prestige cuvée, the "Belle Epoque". www.perrier-jouet.fr

Champagne Piper Heidsieck. 51, Bd. Henry Vasnier, 51100 Reims. Tel: 0033 326 84 43 44 / Fax: 0033 326 84 43 49. www.piper-heidsieck.com

Champagne Pommery. 5, place du Général Gouraud, 51100 Reims. Tel: 0033 326 61 62 55 / Fax: 0033 326 61 62 96. www.pommery.fr

- Champagne Ruinart. 4, rue des Crayères, 51100 Reims. Tel: 0033 326 77 51 54 / Fax: 0033 326 82 88 43. One of the oldest champagne houses, founded in 1729. Tours on weekdays, by appointment only. www.ruinart.com

Champagne Taittinger. 9, place Saint Nicaise, 51100 Reims. Tel: 0033 326 85 84 35 / Fax: 0033 326 50 14 30. Paying tours in English, French and German. www.taittinger.com

Champagne Tribaut Schloesser. 88 rue d’Eguisheim, 51160 Hautvilliers. Founded by the Tribault family who learned their trade from Dom Pérignon. www.champagne.g.tribaut.com

Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. 1, place des Droits de l'Homme, 51100 Reims. Tel: 0033 356 89 54 41 / Fax: 0033 326 40 60 17. Founded in 1772 by Philippe Cliquot, who passed on control to his son, François. On the son's death, the reins were taken over by the veuve (widow), Nicole Cliquot. She once said "only one quality, the finest".

Official champagne of the Danish, Swedish and English courts. Drank at the celebration of the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977. Tours lasting about 90 minutes by appointment only. www.veuve-clicquot.com

Champagne Michel Weynand. Rue du cimetière, 51130 Vertus. Tel: 0033 26 52 25 74 / Fax: 0033 26 52 10 88. www.champagne-weynand.com