The region, that is. Roughly two hours northeast of Paris lays this sacred wine country, and it was the object of my travels on a cold March day.
The city of Reims looks quite a bit like Paris. If the buildings were perhaps two or three more stories taller, I would say that it is Paris, only now they call it Reims. And like Paris, a giant cathedral is in the center of the city.
In its history, the Cathedral at Reims was put into more use in terms of coronations of kings and bishops. At the top of one of the arches outside the cathedral, one can see Clovis, arguably the first king of France, being blessed by the Archbishop and being given the crown by his wife.
But it’s the inside of the structure that has the true differences from its counterpart in Paris. First of all, the interior is much more open. Now it may only seem that way because there is a significant difference between the amount of people walking around in Reims than in Paris, but the interior had much more open space and much more light; probably because there aren’t many buildings directly adjacent to it.
What caught my eye was the stained glass window toward the back of the building, behind the altar. At some point the original window was shattered and artist Marc Chagall designed a new one. What I like about the window is how much it actually resembles Chagall’s paintings.
Another notable sight in Reims is Maison Mumm, France’s and therefore the world’s premiere champagne maker. I was lucky enough to have a tour of the cellar at Mumm’s and it is truly a cave. The corridors are arched with stonewalls and there is very dim lighting so as to not disturb the fermentation process too much. Bottles of champagne line the walls as well each being slightly tilted over months at a time so that the yeast residue can be easily extracted.
After the cellar this is, of course, a tasting. Our guide told us that what we tasted was a champagne that is suitable with just about any kind of food and occasion. That’s all the reason you need to buy a bottle.
Avoid Clichés 