my travels in pixels

Grape vines in the Abbey at Hautvillers Our first stop outside Paris was the town of Epernay where they make Dom Perignon Champagne.  We had been invited on a special tour of the Abbey at Hautvillers – the birth place of Dom Perignon champagne and the resting place of the monk Dom Perignon. The monks at Hautvillers’ motto was work and prayer, and their work was making wine. Dom’s object in life was to make the best wine in the world and he did. Dom Perignon's Tomb Only sparkling wine made from the champagne area can be called champagne and all Dom Perignon champagne is vintage, it takes years to produce. All fermentation is done in the bottle and the bubbles are very small. It is wonderful! At first champagne was made pale and still and they were trying to stop the bubbles being created by a second fermentation that happened in the spring. When it became fashionable to drink wine with bubbles in England, the likes of Dom Perignon tried to control the bubble process...