Winemaker Tony Rasselet with Jerome and Simone Blin.

The Loriot family, Joseph is opening the Jeraboam.

Joseph Loriot in the Loriot vineyard.

Day 6, Thursday June 3 . Thursday always promised to be a big day as we were in for a treat with a visit to Joseph Loriot-Pagel which included lunch in the winery. This would then be followed by a visit to H. Blin.

We arrived at Loriot's at around 10.00am and we immediately took the bus up into one of the Loriot's vineyards. They call this vineyard 'Moscow' because it is the coldest vineyard to work in during winter. Here Jean-Philippe and his father Joseph talked us through the intricacies of the champagne terroir, the soil, the aspect of the vineyard and the weather conditions.

This was followed by a tour of the winery. Theirs was the smallest winery we visited on the tour but also one of the most modern. Recently built within the past 10 years, great attention has been paid to design and layout. This reflects the Loriot family's careful approach to winemaking as the quality of the final product would suggest.

After the tour of the winery we sat down to lunch where we enjoyed an aperatif of 1997 Cuvee de Reserve from Jeraboam. The remaining wines from the Loriot range were served with lunch which consisited of a spectacular Salmon mousse, Fillet de Beouf and Gateaux de Biscuit de Reims. People were asking Odile for the Salmon Mousse recipe whilst enjoying the endless Loriot hospitality. Everyone was enjoying lunch so much that our departure time of 2.00pm became 2.30 and eventually 2.45 as there was a great reluctance to move.

Consequently we were 40 minutes late in arriving at H. Blin and they were very gracious and understanding. Here we were met by Thomas Dewez, head of promotional activities for Blin and he explained the origins of Co-operative wineries in Champagne and the role they play today.

This was followed by a very enjoyable tour of the cellars and the bottling and labelling plant.

Thomas' greatest challenge was offering everyone a glass of champagne after their long lunch but everyone rose to the challenge and before long they were enjoying the fruits of winemaker Tony Rasselet's labour.

After the tour it was back onto the bus for the return journey to our Hotel but there would be no rest as we enjoyed a tasting of Blanc de Blancs champagnes from the Cotes des Blancs region soon after our return. The rest came afterwards with a quiet night in.

Back vintages of Champagne Goutorbe. Nicholas Billecart

Day 5, Wednesday June 2. Wednesday morning and it was time to move camp to Ay so we were up early and packed in time to catch the bus at 9.00am. Rather than taking the quick route we instead took the more scenic route through the Montagne de Reims via the villages of Verzenay, Verzy and Louvois before arriving at Billecart-Salmon in the village of Marieul sur Ay.

Here we were met by Nicholas Billecart who took us on a most instructive visit of the vineyard and winery before conducting a tasting of Billecart-Salmon champagnes. We tasted their new Extra Brut for the first time. This is a wine which has no sugar added to it at disgorgement so it is a very fresh crisp style of wine, particularly well suited to a seafood entree. This was followed by the Brut Rose and the Vintage 1998. All sensational champagnes. The quality of the champagne led to a buying frenzy in the boutique after the tour and then it was back on the bus to travel to Ay.

We arrived in Ay 10 minutes later and checked into our rooms at Castel Jeanson. This excellent Hotel is owned by the Goutorbe family and is only 100 metres from their winery. We soon made our way up to the winery where the Goutorbes were waiting with an excellent smorgasbord lunch accompanied by a half bottle of Goutorbe Prestige Cuvee. After lunch Rene Goutorbe opened a large selection of stunning back vintages ranging from 1982. This was a wonderful surprise and a great privelige to taste these older champagnes. This I am sure was a new experience for many members on the tour. The overwhelming impression was the freshness these wines retained and a wonderful indication of how well champagnes evolves if kept in good cellaring conditions. After lunch we were taken on an excellent tour of the cellars by Etienne Goutorbe.

Later that evening after we had almost recovered from our lunch, we went on to have a tasting of champagnes from the Montagne de Reims and Vallee de la Marne regions of champagne.

Julie-Amandine Michel

Not your average delivery van

Day 4. Tuesday June 1. After our visit to Veuve Clicquot we booked into our Hotel which was located in the heart of Reims not far from Krug. This resulted in a day without the bus as we were able to take a short 15 minute walk from our Hotel to the Krug cellars. A picturesque walk, passing the Hotel de Ville, Louis Roederer and Jacquart along the way. After we arrived at Krug we were met by Julie-Amandine Michel, responsible for receptions and Francois Mateo chief of export to the Australasian region.

We were made welcome immediately upon arrival with a glass of Grande Cuvee, an exquisite champagne combining power with finesse. Julie-Amandine and Francois explained the philosophy and history of Krug whilst we savoured this delightful champagne.

After this initial tasting we then set out on a tour of the cellars, exploring the caves beneath the city of Reims and passing millions of Euros of magnificent champagne quietly maturing. Our hosts took us throughout the cellars showing us the bottling process, the reserve wine collection and the labelling area before returning to the tasting room.

It was then that we were given a special treat of trying the 1998 vintage followed by a second tasting of the Grande Cuvee so we could make a direct comparison between the two styles. Everyone was spellbound as Julie-Amandine poured the champagnes and we tried this most oppulent of champagnes. The vintage had the most delicious toasty aromas with a wonderfully intense flavour packed palate which was beautifully balanced by the acidity. Julie-Amandine was in no rush and neither were we. However in the end all good things must pass and so our party left after a most informative and enjoyable visit to one of champagnes great houses. Later that evening we had an extremely enjoyable group dinner at the Brasserie Boulingrin. Boulingrin is a dining institution in Reims with tradtional French cuisine. We were very honoured to be joined by Veuve Cliquot winemaker, Philippe Thieffry and his wife Laurence. The food was excellent, the wine flowed and the laughter went late into the night.

Tour De Champagne 2010

Day 3 Monday May 31. We were met by our bus and left Paris at 8.30 am for Champagne. Our first appointment was with Veuve Clicquot at 11.00. We were met at V.C. by Louise Vicq who is in charge of reception at VC and we received a brief explanation of the 3 varieties of grapevine in Champagne before meeting chief oenoligist Philippe Thieffry. Philippe (pictured above) had prepared a most instructive tasting for us where we were shown the base wines (vins claires) of the 3 different varieties. Firstly we saw the Pinot Meunier then the Pinot Noir and finally the chardonnay. This was followed by a blend of the 3 wines. It was extremely interesting to see the different flavour characteristics that each variety brings to the final blend. After the blended Vin Claire we tasted the real thing, the Veuve Clicquot non vintage from magnum. Here we could see all the flavours marry together as well as the complexity that the second fermentation and time on lees can give to the wine.

As a special treat Philippe then produced a magnum of the 1990 Veuve Clicquot. A wine Philippe discribed as his baby and what a wonderful champagne!! Youthful, fresh, complex and delicate a real treat for the tour group to see a champagne with age.

After the tasting it was back onto the bus for the short trip to Verzy where we enjoyed a magnificent lunch provided by Veuve Clicquot in their mansion, the Manoir de Verzy. Our aperatif was the 1998 Grande Dame and the exquisite food was accompanied by the vintage 2002, Rose 2004, Rose 1985 and dessert was a perfect match with the cuvee riche. Above, the tour group outside the Manoir de Verzy after their lunch. After lunch it was back to Reims for a tour of the VC cellars, a wonderful conclusion to a perfect day.

Tour De Champagne 2010

Day 1 Saturday May 29. First day of the tour and the tour members met in the foyer of the Hotel Mathurin in Paris before taking our guided tour of Paris. It was always going to be a tight finish for the people arriving at 6.00 in the morning to be at the Hotel by 10.00am and so it proved to be as Ann and Melissa ran through the door at 10.10 and then straight out again and onto the bus. The tour of Paris was excellent especially for those visiting Paris for the first time. The tour took us past the Opera, along the Seine, through Saint Germain past the Pantheon, Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides and the National Assembly to name but a few of the features and monuments.

The afternoon was free giving the new arrivals a chance to shower and settle into their rooms while the rest of us hit the shops of Paris, trawlling the wine shops and Bistros.

At 6.00 pm that evening we gathered in the bar of our hotel for the official welcome and a very enjoyable glass or two of Taittinger NV champagne. The tour was officially underway.