FRANCE Magazine by Nina Bjordal

TRAVEL CULTURE FOOD & WINE HISTORY

FRANCE Britain’s best-selling magazine about France

May 2013 –Issue 177

MONT SAINT MICHEL

The path to paradise

WINE YARD TOUR The secrets of Champagne

FRANCE IN LONDON

Enjoy the French culture in your own capital

MOVING INTO THE FRENCH DREAM

British couples invites you into their French country houses

LEARN FRENCH IN VENDEE

...while emptying bottles

CONTENTS

TRAVEL

CULTURE

4 MONT SAINT MICHEL

11 LIVING THE FRENCH DREAM

52 THE PEARLS OF THE RIVIERA

42 FRANCE IN LONDON

Get a peek at the holy pilgrimage across the shores of Normandy which you can join this summer. Confused by the riviera ‘jungle’? We’ll show you the top 10’s of the popular hot spot – and where to stay away from.

78 LEARN FRENCH IN THE VENDEE

Fancy brushing up your language skills? Why not pop over and do a course in western France this summer?

MONT SAINT MICHEL: It’s time to demystify one of UNESCO’s World Heritages once and for all.

FRANCE MAGAZINE

Two British couples invites you into their French homes and give you the stories of how their lives has transformed since the big move.

Find out how to enjoy the best of French culture in our own capital, from Gallic eateries to a West End show.

80 REVIEWS AND LANGUAGE

Finf out which films and books to enjoy and brush up your French with our fourpage language section. www.francemag.com

MAY 2013

FOOD & WINE 36 CHAMPAGNE - A LOVE STORY

Join an amateur through the first time experience of the district Champagne.

48 FOOD NEWS AND RECIPIES

Meet the man tending some of France’s oldest vines, plus our recipe of the month.

EVERY MONTH 22 DEPARTURE LOUNGE

Meet three visitors to France and discover what they love about the country and its cuisine.

26 BOITE AUX LETTRES

Find out how you can win six bottles of champagne by writing our star letter.

28 ACTUALITES

We give you the low-down on the important issues making the news across l’Hexagone.

88 HOLIDAY PLANNER

Discover more about the département of Orne in Normandy, home to lace-making and a celebrated cheese.

89 ROUTE MAP

Plan your journey to France with our useful guide to all the ferry, train and airline routes to l’Hexagone. www.francemag.com

36 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Hidden French Treasures The Eiffel Tower in Paris. Foto: Nina Bjordal ...............................................................................................................................................................................................

or as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of moving into a country house in France. It may be a cliché, but I believe that everything is going to be OK and more meaningful once I step into my grand villa with a back yard filled with apple trees and an old gramophone player with Edith Piaf ’s voice dancing around beneath the branches. It is something about the French’s understanding of life that I believe has passed us by. I want to inhale all the impressions that so clearly stand out from my ‘normal’ life. But even though we all have a little Francophile inside of us, it is a big step away from family, from friends, from everything we know so well. Will the dream actually become the reality? In this issue of FRANCE Magazine we meet two www.francemag.com

British couples that has stepped into the unknown by leaving everything in the UK to start over in France. They were tired of their lifestyles in Britain and decided to go for what they’ve always dreamt of. Read more about the challenges and surprises they’ve met on the way on page 11. But there are so many more curious things about France that’s just waiting to be explored. This summer you can join an ancient tradition by walking the pilgrimage across the long shores of Normandy, ending up in at the world wonder Mont Saint Michel. It’s a magical experience for both believers and non-believers and ends in a big torchlight procession uphill to the abbey (page 6). I have also taken my non-existing understanding of champagne to a whole new level at page 36 by visiting champagne houses as a complete

Nina Nina Bjordal Editor amateur in the field. And that is exactly what this summer issue of FRANCE Magazine encourages you to do: widen your horizon and step into something you actually don’t know that much about – whether it’s a big move or places and experiences that seem alien to you. Who knows, maybe a whole new world is waiting for you? FRANCE MAGAZINE

The stairway to

heaven Each year, about 1000 people gather for a pilgrimage to what they for centuries have believed to be the true path to paradise; Mont Saint Michel.w Text: Nina Bjordal Photos: Nina Bjordal, private from Mont Saint Michel, Beauty Places Download

he sun is out. Hordes of people are waiting at the sandy beaches outside the medieval monastery Mont Saint Michel. Built on rocky ground, the abbey and its village rises majestically up from a tidal flat. From far away, the great castle could easily be mistaken for a mirage. But today, it clearly states its presence in the bright daylight and takes you back to the time you watched Lord of the Rings at the movie theatre. Before becoming an architectural marvel and a mecca of tourism, the Church described Mont Saint-Michel as a momentum made for heaven. Even though the ‘pyramid of Europe’ is crowded of tourists during the day, there are ways of experience the real spirituality of this ancient gathering point for pilgrims. It was in the immediate post-war period that the Diocese of Coutances and Avranches created this summer pilgrimage as a memorial to the past purpose of the abbey. Today, the 1000 attendances standing on the beach will go on a symbolic pilgrimage to honour the abbey’s tradition. Starting by the foot of the Mountain, they will walk across the shores of Normandy before ending back up at Mont Saint Michel.

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Crossing the deadly shores The crowd is silent. Monsignor Stanislas Lalanne sings a hymn to Mont Saint Michel called ‘the peril of the sea’ to protect them from the sea’s dangers: “Your greatness, we pray for support from the old days.” At this hour, the high tide that usually surrounds the island has escaped out in the ocean – until the twilight that is. Every seventh hour, the water rises up to 15 meters and buries the shore. This is the most extreme case of tidal rise in the world. Moving with a speed of one meter per second, Victor Hugo compared it to a galloping horse. In the past, you could risk not getting away if you weren’t careful enough to watch it sneaking upon the island. The area would be clear for trespassing during the day, before the ocean swallowed its entrance entirely by night. For centuries, it was considered a duty to go on pilgrimage. The rich and the brave went to Rome and Jerusalem. The poor went to Mont Saint Michel. Pilgrims could walk for months to reach the holy destination, just to be swallowed by the deadly high tide before they reached the clip. Today, a causeway has been built to connect the isle to the rest of the world at all times. By crossing this, you will immediately understand why the iconic abbey attracts around 3,5 million people every year. www.francemag.com

Separated from the world Passing the entrance to this giant labyrinth of narrow alleys and cobblestone streets, the smell of sweet waffles and burned almonds fills the air. Small shops, bustling street life and crowds of people exploring the streets are greeting you on the inside. The myriad in the streets instantly brings you to life. As the sun lit up the touristsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; foreheads, they walk around like burning candles surrounding the monastery. A crackling sound of crĂŞpes in creation with Italian ice cream melting on top makes the senses stumble for a taste. This is clearly no place for a modest lifestyle. But for some, life at Mont Saint Michel is exactly that. In the heart of the monastery, monks and nuns live in celibacy, separated from the world outside. They are rarely to be seen in the public alleys or in the near-by villages, as they keep to their isolated life style, serving God. But today, they are ready to walk seven miles with the attendants through the wet and sandy landscape that the tide has left behind.

TOP: The narrow streets in the little village of Mont Saint Michel. BOTTOM: The garden inside of the abbey, the monk leading the pilgrimage into the Mont.

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1000 wandering torchlights One of the nuns situated at the Mont Saint Michel, sister Claire-AnnaĂŤl, tells about the pilgrimage. Every year, this event brings together between 800 to 1000 pilgrims of all ages to cross the endless bays of Mont Saint Michel. Most of them are elders, but there

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Pilgrims could walk for months to reach the holy destination, just to be swallowed by the deadly high tide before they reached the clip.

are many young people to spot as well – including children. This summer, the 17th of July, the Christian union is ready to guide you through the footsteps of the pilgrims from the old days. “We start at 8 am at the commune Genêts, with the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem leading the pilgrims while singing the ‘Office of Lauds’,” says sister Claire-Annaël.

ing the same dream two times without taking action, he got a well-deserved divine punishment for having shirked his duty. The angel was so angry that he used his finger to burn a hole in Auberts skull. The project was then quickly completed. After the psalms, the pilgrims are about to hit the road to Tombelaine – the first destination of the four hour long pilgrimage back to Mont Saint Michel. Sister Claire-Annaël tells about what the pilgrims can expect from the journey.

“During the crossing, they are invited to times of Before starting their journey, the Monastic Fraterprayer, singing, testimonies and reflections. Each nities of Jerusalem tells the story of how Mont Saint Michel ended up on the tiny, desert island. Legend year, a different theme is chosen. In 2011, the theme was called ‘The vocation’, followed by ‘Beloved of has it that in year 706 the bishop Aubert fell asleep on the cliff Rocher de la Tombe. He dreamt that the God’ in 2012,” she says. holy archangel Michael The pilgrims are asked him to build a recommended church right on the spot In the heart of the monastery, to go barefoot in he was sleeping. Aubert monks and nuns live in celibacy, didn’t take it seriously, shorts, as it they and tried to squirm away separated from the world outside. walk across water and fields of wet from the task. After havsand. Half way through, they rest for a picnic. After seven miles of walking, they end the pilgrimage with a procession to the Abbey where they attend the Mass.

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“We arrive at the foot of the mountain after four hours of walking in the bay. It ends with a torchlight procession up to the abbey, where a solemn mass will be sung in the presence of the pilgrimage of monks and nuns. This is a proposal to enter into a spiritual high,” says sister Claire-Annaël.

ENDED PILGRIMAGE: Monks are gathering after the long walk and preparing to start the torchlight procession which ends at the monastery in prayer.

The pilgrimage is free, but you have to pre-register. Grab your chance and join the pilgrimage across the shores of Normandy this summer to demystify Mont Saint Michel once and for all. Who knows, maybe you will see the light?

................................................................................................... DID YOU KNOW THAT MONT SAINT MICHEL ...is on UNESCO’s World Heritages list and is considered to be one of the Western world’s wonders. ...is the third most visited attraction in France, after the Eiffel Tower and Versailles. ...is actually an own district, with roughly 50 people living there fulltime. ...hundreds of lives that were lost during the making of the monastery due to the tide, and because of this, the monastery was believed to be a hostel for dead souls.

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Other ways to explore the spirituality

of the abbey

The festival ‘Entre ciel et mer’ – between sky and ocean A festival of performing arts and visual arts at the heart of the Mount, in order to: Educate visitors about the Christian essence of Mont Saint Michel, make a demonstration clearly recalling the “faith builders” with a varied program and highlights, and to mobilize Christian volunteers for a new adventure in the Church. When: 14th to 18th of July 2013

When: 11th July to 24th of August Live with the monks Stay in the monastery alongside the monks for a period and dive into their lifestyle to bring you closer to God by living isolated from the outside world. These visitors will live in the munch cells and take part in the daily life of Gods men.

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Explore the castle after dark This event is called ‘chanson des ombres a la merveille’ – the songs of the shadows at the wonder. Visit the abbey at night-time, when the myriad from the tourists has disappeared. The monastery and its gardens show themself from a very different angel with sound effects and mystical lights, which breaks the silence of the night – making it a spiritual exploration of the old Mont Saint Michel.

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God made man in his image and man has returned the compliment. - Unknown about the creation of Mont Saint Michel

When: all year ...............................................................................................

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Moving into 14

French dre

Sick of their jobs and with dreams of a new life abroad, two couples decided to move from the UK and realise their dream in the French countryside. By: Nina Bjordal, Photo: Private

o the

eam

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The Bed& Breakfast Dream

After making the big move abroad, Anthony and Rachel Pinwill went from seeing each other once a week to 24 hours a day. By: Nina Bjordal

n a small, ancient village called Pieusse in southwest France, between vineyards and green hills in the countryside, is a bed and .breakfast called Maison Laurent. Both the house and nature give you the feeling of being in the most untouched place in France. Surrounded by blooming yellow flowers, the once old and worn brick house is now transformed into a proud luxury bed and breakfast. It is owned by Anthony Pinwill (53) and his wife Rachel (52), both from England. Before ending up in Pieusse, Anthony was a self-employed travel agent, while Rachel worked as a personal assistant in a bank. “We were overworked and stressed; wondering what life was all about. While Rachel was longing to escape the office work, I wanted to follow my dream of cooking professionally and running my own bed and breakfast abroad,” says Anthony.

to settle. Nearly two years of hard work later, they were finally ready to live the dream. They bought the house in Pieusse in November 2008 and started the renovation. Their aim was to create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for guests, but with all the modern facilities, such as en suite bathrooms, air conditioning and a swimming pool. Tiled bathrooms with tubs placed in the centre of the room and beautifully decorated bedrooms makes a perfect romantic getaway. “We try to make them feel relaxed and comfortable, and aim to be somewhere between a small hotel and a house party,” says Anthony. The bed and breakfast is a nice mix of a hotel and a house, and their dog Bella and the common area makes the guests feel like home. “Once we were open for business in July 2010, our new life began. We were now working at home, together, which was one of our primary reasons for making the move abroad,” Rachel says.

More time for each other After spending holidays around France, the couple fell in love with its beauty and culture and decided

300 days of sunshine Pieusse is known for its white and beige brick houses with orange ceilings. The ancient village is

MAISON LAURENT: The Pinwills has managed to keep their bed and breakfast noastalgic on the outside and modern and delicate on the inside. surrounded by green vineyards in the world’s largest wine producing area and boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year. Wide rivers flow past green willows that are stretching down to cool down by the river bank in the summer heat. After months of investigation, this peaceful landscape became their home base for the new bed and breakfast as they felt it had great tourism potential. “We wanted to be close to the city Limoux in South

of France, which has the Mediterranean Sea as its closest neighbour. We felt this would be the perfect spot; close to the fortified town Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi which is one of UNESCO’s world heritages, as well as the mountain ranges and the coast. We were looking for a maison de maître, which is the typical French village house with four storeys, high ceilings and iron balconies.” They enjoy the sense of community and the relaxed

TOP: Maison Laurent from the outside. LEFT: The river floating through Pieusse. ...............................................................................................................................................................................................

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LEFT: Their dog Bella has been more than happy for a change of scenery.

RIGHT: The landscape of Pieusse, the social locals are meeting for food and a chat in the village, the bat pier in PIeusse.

environment they moved into. “France has beautiful countryside, a slower pace of life and a better climate. It also has a better work- and lifestyle balance. There is a real patriotism and love of tradition, which is reflected in the great food and wine of the country,” says food-enthusiast Anthony.

of his ingredients for successful evening along with his guests. “The majority of the food is produced within a few kilometres of the market and is organic and ultra fresh. The French are fiercely protective and proud of their food and wines,” Anthony adds. As for him, he gets to do what he loves the most every day; cooking delicious The French pride food to his guests. There have In the village of Pieusse, cafés been between twenty and are filled with locals and tourists We are together thirty different nationalities enjoying their lunches in the almost 24 hours drifting through Maison shade of the summer heat. Local farmers offer all sorts of vegeLaurent, although nearly half a day tables, homemade jam, wine, of them are British and Irish. This evening, Anthony serves clothes, crafts and other goods from a home cooked meal with steamed mussels in white markets in town. This is where Anthony collects all wine sauce, the French classic crème brûlée for dessert, alongside olives and many other French goods collected from the market. “Guests always eat together and this is usually a very positive and enjoyable aspect of their stay. They can swap stories and experiences and although we don’t sit down to eat with them that often, we usually join them at the end of the meal for coffee and a drink.”

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Facing a new language Anthony points out that the big move also has had its challenges. Among them is the bureaucracy, generally poorer customer service, less developed infrastructure in electricity and local transport, as well as high

.......................................................... THE LOCAL MARKET: “The majority of the food is produced within a few kilometres of the market and is organic and ultra fresh.” ............................................................................................................................................................................................... www.francemag.com 18 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Turning an old barn into a nostalgic home:

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never regretted taking this big stepâ&#x20AC;? 20

With no idea of what the future had in store for them, Hege and Craig Morris abandoned their brand new house in Scotland to seek adventure in France.

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t all started 15 years ago. With bags packed with dedication and an eagerness to study human resources abroad, 21-year-old Hege Morris left Norway and moved to Scotland. That’s where she met Craig – totally unaware that she was facing a long-distant future apart from her homeland. “Craig and I met at the end of term, just before I was going back to Norway. I went back for a couple of weeks, but then moved straight back to Glasgow”, Hege says about the love she wouldn’t let go. After seven years in Scotland, they felt like something was missing. Hege spent her days working in human resources at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, while Craig was in marketing for Seafood Scotland. Tired of their predictable lifestyles, they decided to break out of their uninspiring work and move. Having wanted to learn French from the age of 13, Hege now saw her opportunity. “For us it was more an escape from working in offices in Edinburgh to do something fun and different. Craig already spoke a bit of French, and I started to take evening classes. Then we went over to France to start house hunting”, she says. They abandoned their brand new house in Scotland and went south looking for their nostalgic dream house.

MOVED: With only basic knowledge of the French language, the Morris family moved to France to seek what they missed in life – and found it. FRANCE MAGAZINE

POPULAR INTERIOR: Hegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior has been headhunted by several magazines, which she is now featuring in. She likes to mix old with new and has interior as her favourite hobby.

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................................................................................................................................. FAMILY TIME: With a good mix of French and Nordic, Hege has created a nice atmosphere in their new French home.

Falling for the rural charm They started driving around in Carcassonne in the South of France, but soon realized it was too pricy compared to further north and that it was too hot for them in the summer, facing 30 degrees during the hottest days. “But then, whilst in the West of France, we discovered an old barn in the French department Charente – known for being a part of the traditional and rural France,” Hege reminisces. Here, Occitan dialects – the traditional language in the area – can still be heard in the fairs and markets frequented by local farmers and craftsmen. Being laced with rivers and streams that feed into the River Charente, the town is characterized as laidback by the rest of France. This was the charm Hege and Craig immediately fell for, and just a few days after, they bought the barn. “Neither of us had jobs to go to, but now we had an old barn to renovate. It had never been lived in, but the people we bought it from had started the renovation. We painted everything and sanded and stained all the floors. The barn had no septic tank or electricity when we moved in, so there was a lot to get on with. The learning curve was pretty steep, as we had never done anything like it before.” “I used to be scared of answering the phone” Facing a foreign language has been one of the bigger challenges they have met when moving to France, and because of this, integrating socially has been 24

harder than they expected as well. Hege feels that people in Charente tend to keep to themselves, although most are very friendly. “I’m not going to say it was easy as it’s not. I didn’t speak French when we arrived, so everything was new to me. We are both fluent now and it’s fine, but it does take a few years. I spent the first two years just listening to people, the radio and the TV. I wasn’t confident enough to start speaking straight away; I remember I used to be scared of answering the phone,” Hege says. It took her about five years before mastering the language. She has now spoken French confidently for the last two years. Getting down to business After a few months renovating the house, Craig got a job as an English teacher in Angoulême, the capital of Charente. He stayed in the job for a couple of years, before he replaced the teaching with a job as an intermediary for French fish wholesalers and fishing companies in Scotland. Then, he went on and did a Masters in Wine and Spirits, and is now launching a new spirits brand as well. Hege started her own successful scrapbooking business during the first years in France. But she admits France is not an easy country to have your own business. “There’s little or no help with anything, you’ve got to find out the hard way. When you call people in the administration they are very unwilling to help, so it’s

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I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak French when we arrived, so everything was new to me. I spent the first two years just listening to people, the radio and the TV. 25

A sparkling experience in the cellars of Champagne You don’t have to be a snobby expert to enjoy a glass of champagne. Nina Bjordal gives an amateur guide through the champagne valleys, where the experts indulge and newcomers pretend to drink with class. Text: Nina Bjordal, Photos: Nina Bjordal, Etienne Léfevre, Olivier Bassil.

UMM. The four great letters adorn the tall fences of the champagne giant and sparkle in the sun as we drive through the gates. The place looks like a beautiful stranger to me. I have never been a huge fan either of champagne nor the snobby people who tend to drink it, and while some people like their champagne and caviar, I prefer a beer and a hot dog. But that’s exactly why I joined this trip – to challenge myself and get to know the big fuss behind this bubbly liquid the French seem to be so proud of. Two hours prior I had been tripping at the train station Gare de l’Est in Paris to reach my escort to Reims, a city East of Paris. I was exited to visit the green valleys of Champagne, which also gave the name to the worlds most celebrated drink. Technically, champagnes from this region are the only ones that can be referred to as real champagne. Therefore, all bubbly drinks made outside the Champagne region should simply just be called sparkling wine. Now, 120 km later, I am ready for the first stop on my way – one of the biggest champagne producers in the world. Huge, white mansions surround me, and the brand MUMM is towering everywhere. Even a small clock tower rises from one of the roofs, stating the place’s importance. Like King Kong on top of the Empire State building, you could say I am a bit out of my depth. A giant elevator appears behind what seems to be a normal door on one of the mansions’ walls. We

26 FRANCE MAGAZINE

are stuffed inside and taken down. One floor. Two floors. Six floors. Ding. The doors open, and the sun has vanished. We are deep down in an underground cellar, and lights has apparently lost the battle of prioritization here. The dungeon labyrinth in front of us is waiting. A guide reveals himself from the dark –his name is Michael, a man in his 30’s. He is dressed in a tight black suit, a white shirt and a red tie. Not a single hair on his head dares to move in the wrong direction. He tells us that we stand beneath many floors of champagne storages, and that we are now in the very deep of MUMM’s soil. Everything is covered in cobblestones: the floor, the walls and the ceiling. As we walk, caves by caves dug into the walls appear in our sight. Inside of them, bubbly bottles with corks on the edge of bursting are staring at us as we walk by. “This cellar contains 25 million bottles of champagne,” says Michael. I guess this is what champagne heaven looks like. As a Norwegian, I feel pretty out of place with the old Vikings’ drinking habits still running through my veins. Still, I am fascinated. This person is genuinely interested in every aspect of the champagnes history – will there be hope for me and my ignorance for the classy drops at the end of the day? Michael takes us on a tour of their underground museum. He tells us about the creation of champagne, and that it’s made of everything from one to three types of grapes, which is reflected in the taste. In other words, a grape isn’t just a grape, but detailed ingredients that give the different champagnes their own distinct flavours. The vines from the 218 vine-

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TOP: MUMM’s luxurious champagne house in Champagne, France. BOTTOM: Inside of MUMM’s cellar and the champagne tower in their entrance.

yards in the region have been made here since the third century AD. In this cellar the grapes are transformed into wine. The remaining yeasts are removed, before it remains as a still wine for weeks before the characteristic sparkle is added. “The bubbles in the champagne are made by adding sugar and yeast to the grape juice. Because of the yeast, bottles must both be turned and tilted more and more toward a vertical position. Today, most of the turning and emptying of the bottles are done by machines, but there are still some that are hand made,” he says.

TILTING: The tour shows a demonstration of how the bottles are tilted more and more to the vertical to remove yeast.

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After sharing stories and showing us around for a while, he takes us to a room where giant plastic champagne bottles are posed, looking like enormous bowling cones. We are free to wander around in the dungeon alleys and take pictures before we are taken back up to the earth’s crust. The elevator takes us up to civilization and makes us look like vampires in the sun as we step outside. It is time for the final round: the tasting. We are being taken through a long corridor, and suddenly a loud ‘pop’ is followed by a cork that squeezes its way out of an expensive bottle. It is time for a little dégustation – a tasting. A new man in a black suit fills up my glass. He is tan and behaves correctly in every way possible – he is just how you would imagine a stereotype snobby Frenchman. He

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THE TASTING: Glasses are filled with champagne and everyone get a taste of MUMM’s champagne.

A family business After the break, a bus takes us to the countryside. Miles of grape ranks glitters of green and purple in the sun, and small villages inhabited by grape owners boosts nostalgia into the green fields. All together, there are 320 villages in Champagne, but only 17 of Champagne sorbet in Reims them benefit of the ‘Grand Cru’ appellation – meanWe hop on a bus to the city of Reims where we stop ing great growth in French. This designation classifies for lunch. The idyllic village the villages with the best is bathing in sunlight as quality soil. One of these I wish I’d drunk more we sit down at the outdoor villages is Verzy, where we serving at the restaurant stop at a small champagne Champagne. Le Vigneron. The charmproducer called Etienne ing restaurant chief Hervé Lefèvre. The elderly Liégent has an enormous - The dying words of couple Anne-Marie and moustache and a infectious Etienne Lefèvre runs the Lord Keynes laughter, and is truly dedicatplace, and Anne-Marie is ed to champagne. After a beef rib, ready to show us the art we are served champagne sorbet for desert – a quite of champagne in her private cellar. The short woman hard desert to make as alcohol isn’t easy to freeze. with a dark boyish haircut is relaxed, but professionBut it tastes delicious, and Hervé is pleased with our ally dressed, and takes us into the main entrance. The approval. A filled stomach later, I discover a huge room is extremely lit up, almost sparkly. The walls are cathedral – one of the greatest cathedrals in France. covered in gold, while champagne bottles and pink It’s called Notre-Dame de Reims and is identical to details gives the room a feeling of luxury. She waves the Notre-Dame situated in Paris. This is where most the group of tall listeners over to a door at the other of the kings of France have been crowned in the side of the room and is ready to bring us into the past. The stained glasses and the characteristic rose dark. window of the Notre-Dame cathedrals look amazing A narrow stone stairway guides us beneath the soil. under the curved ceiling of the gothic church. The temperature gets chillier for each step as we deintroduces his secret elixir as brut champagne. With high hopes, I take a sip. I am disappointed to find out that it is not really my type. It’s bitter and dry, with too many bubbles for my taste. I am still not convinced.

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scend 10 meters down in the deep. I find myself between cellar halls carved in limestone – a smaller, more intimate version of where I was just two hours ago. It feels more like home compared to the giant producer MUMM – if you could even compare a cellar filled of champagne to a home. But that is exactly what the grape-loving couple calls the caves they slip in and out of day after day. They live in the same house, side by side with the champagne, and the Etienne Lefèvre ‘family’ consists only of the couple themselves, their daughter and two workers. The family dog and cat come and go as they please and have the permission to explore the hallways, which gives the place an even stronger sense of home. Anne-Marie speaks about how they produce their 10.000 bottles of fluid brand each year and gives us advice on how to combine food with the right type of champagne. She waves her arms to demonstrate and is clearly passionate about teaching others how to get the most out of the drink. “I am sure that the Champagne we produce is better than it was the last century. The evolution has been big, the technics and the machines too,” she says with a strong French accent. You would believe that with a giant producer as MUMM as their neighbour, the competition is hard. But Anne-Marie says that they are both brothers and enemies who need each other. “They sell 70 % of the bottles in the world. But they only own 10 % of the Champagne area, while us winegrowers own 90 % of the ground. So we need champagne houses like MUMM to open new markets and they need us winegrowers to produce the grapes.”

FAMILY BUSINESS: The Lefèvre family works together every day.

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CHAMPAGNE CELLAR: The stairways takes you down to the Etienne Lefèvre’s champagne cellar.

After the 45 minute long private tour the charming lady takes us back up. Another dégustation awaits us. The whole group are being placed around large, round tables. Anne-Marie tells us that there are two big differences when it comes to champagne: whether it is brut or demi-sec. “Champagnes are separated between extra brut, brut, extra dry, sec and demisec. The major difference between these is the sugar levels. The taste is very different. The most popular is the brut champagne. We respect the nature of each soil and their proper flavours, which brut reflects. Perhaps it’s stronger to drink brut champagne, but then you also have the real flavour. The fashion now is to drink an extra brut,” she says. “Dry champagne is the opposite of sweet, so if you don’t like the most common champagnes, which are brut, you should try demi-sec. We have only continued to make demi-sec because of traditions. It is really sweet, and good for sensitive taste buds,” she adds. A blend of demi-sec 30 FRANCE MAGAZINE