Champagne is unlike any other wine region in the world. It's how I imagine it would be to travel to the land of OZ. Minus Dorothy's red shoes and a few funny looking friends, it's like another world; one that people aspire to and is filled with all that represents living a beautiful life - regional gastronomy, provincial living, and - of course - champagne. To this end, the region of Champagne should be another tourist mecca like Burgundy or Bordeaux - but it's not. Thank goodness for that. The yellow brick road that leads to the Champagne hubs of Reims or Epernay from Paris is less than an hour north-east by train. Whether you head there for a few hours or a few days, it's a wonderful respite from the calamity of Paris during high season.
Our entire four week European sojourn had been mapped around visiting Champagne in early October, taking care to observe likely harvesting times, which historically occur in September. In light of some pretty horrific downpours, devastating hail storms, and cooler weather, I kept a vigilant eye on any emerging news from Champagne that may have provided a hiccup in our schedule.
Not dissimilar to the difficulty Dorothy had getting in to see the Wizard of OZ, securing a tour or tasting at a champagne house or grower can be just as tricky - even in the best of times. So obtaining access during harvest is almost impossible as the houses and growers go into lock down. That is, if you're a relative nobody like me. Needless to say, as each day passed with no news from the CIVC (Comité Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne) on harvesting times, our itinerary was beginning to look a little bleak.
But then, true to Champagne style, the bad weather went away just as it was thought all hope had been lost. The clouds parted, the sun came out, and the ripening began. Harvest commenced on 10 September in the Marne and Aube regions and concluded almost two weeks later. With every appointment confirmed (apart from one), we were set.
