Last weekend, Jean-Paul and I set of by TGV for Champagne for a weekend of absolute BLISS. It is a strenuous journey seeing that you take the fast train to Paris where you have to change stations between Gare de Lyon and Gare d’Est. It’s a fun adventure in itself, cutting across the city to make the slow train that takes you from Paris to Epernay.
We arrived in a gloomy Epernay with light drizzle and grey skies. But seeing that most of the weekend’s activities would take place indoors, the gloominess did not faze us one bit. After all, following the long journey from the south to the north we were more excited about the bubbles and seeing the FAMILY of Champagne Jean Vesselle.
The weekend was a festival of wine tasting hosted by Champagne JV and their distribution partners from all the corners of France – Alsace, Loire, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and Chablis. So our journey was not only for pleasure, but also to give a helping hand to who-so-ever that would need some muscle to carry a box or open a bottle. And opening bottles we did. However, we got assigned to manning the beer stand. What a shocker! Who sells beer in CHAMPAGNE???? In my defence – I did NOTHING! As a matter of principle – for one: I despise beer in any form shape or size. And two: this was CHAMPAGNE!!! Hahahaha. Jean-Paul, being Dutch and smelling the money, saw the opportunity to distract visitors from the wine milieu and patronised them with “his” flavoured beers from Burgundy (who makes beer in Burgundy????) He managed to sell most of the stock while I wrapped boxes and packed orders.
But after each day, we got together around the big tables of Champagne Jean Vesselle where there NEVER seems to be a shortage of good food, good friends and the best bubbles in town! We FEASTED on the best foods of the region and we must have opened 10 or 12 Jeroboams (equivalent to 3L) plus an endless number of Magnums. Magnums are known to be the best volume to sell and consume Champagne. I don’t recall seeing or opening a “normal” size 750mL bottle the WHOLE weekend. This just epitomises the HOSPITAILTY of Champagne Jean Vesselle. Never a shortage but everything in ABUNDANCE and always putting out the best! These people have become like family and I like to call CJV my “home” in France. Not only because of the bubbles and my passion for the product, BUT MORE SO because of the PEOPLE. Their warm and open hearts makes even the biggest stranger feel at home. After every visit I leave with fond memories and an expectation for my next visit – hopefully a speedy return.
Needless to say – it was hard for Jean-Paul and me to get on the train in Epernay late Sunday afternoon after another unforgettable weekend in Bouzy. We must have looked like people with “a problem” as we were carrying three boxes of bubbly (the generosity of “mon chef” and “ ma patronnne” – David and Delphine) with us across platforms and in between Metro stations in Paris. Me clutching my CJV 1991 Magnum as if my life depended on it!
We arrived in Montpellier just before 23H00 Sunday night – just enough time for a quick “rinse” under the shower and jumping in bed. Cos our next journey kicked off at 05H00 the next morning – direction Rhone - a region that is about 350km north-east of MP. But this was a school field trip of two days….
Luckily there was time to catch up on some lost sleep on the bus. Travelling by bus is my least favourite mode of transport for the simple reason that even if I occupy three seats there are still not enough space for my legs. Also I always manage to sleep my neck into a spasm. Don’t ask me how I manage that.
We arrived in Hermitage shortly before 09h30. For the following three hours we visited the vineyards, the cellar and ended off with a tasting. The steep slopes of this region are famous around the world of wine and were majestic to see and experience. From there we went to different regions, followed by more tastings and more treacherous travelling by bus.
The highlight of the short two day stop in the Rhone was, without surprise, the heartfelt return to Chateauneuf du Pape – a small village nestled in the heart of my favourite part of France. You have the valleys of Vaucluse and the Luberon lurking around the corner and the towering Mont Ventoux (Lance Armstrong territory) as an imposing backdrop. The simplicity of the earth around this region is mystifying. I have been there four times already and every time it takes my breath away. For multiple reasons: One – the wines from Chateauneuf are world-renown; two – the wines/quality are overwhelming; three – there is a solitude that hangs in the air; four – the small round stones called “gallet” that cover the face of this coveted piece of earth stirs a “romance” between earth and vine that is impossible to explain. I will keep on returning to this place time and time again.
