Ten of the most beautiful and promising champagne houses of the Côte des Bar and Montgueux came to celebrate at the Elysée Pavillon the 20th anniversary of the Hôtels and Préférence group, an international French group with one of the most impressive collections of 4- and 5-stars hotels in France.
In homage to Vatel – a great organizer of gastronomic festivals under the reign of Louis XIV – it’s a whole tasting journey in a “Grand Siècle” style that was expressed around a very French treasure that knows how to give back to all evening its brilliance and sparkle: the champagne.
The whole was skilfully selected and orchestrated by Sabine Verley, a key figure in food and wine marketing. Luxus Plus invites you here to relive with words this delight of the palate with which the department of Aube knows how to delight – as well as amaze us.
An effervescent journey is guaranteed for those who know how to moderate themselves.
A guide to lesser-known Champagne land
At the beginning, there was a region to the south of Champagne, having for neighbor Burgundy, mythical for its clay-limestone soil as for its cuvées: the Côte des Bar. A rich heritage coupled with a vineyard of character – a few miles from Troyes – turned towards a controlled appellation of origin with centuries-old know-how: champagne wine.
Wine of the kings or “wine of the devil” – because of its bubbles, the outcome of a second fermentation of the grapes causing impetuous cork jumps – here is a guest who knows how to enthuse many parties. But behind its knowing allure and pinot noir signature, champagne from the Côte des Bar knows how to be creative and sometimes even the most surprising.
To enlighten the amateur – in the appreciation of this divine nectar, we needed a guide… even better: an ambassador. And it was Sabine Verley, founding director of SV Marketing Gastronomique, who meticulously prepared the ground, selecting ten Champagne houses from the Côte des Bar and Montgueux. “It remains a pure coincidence, but this selection of estates offers an almost perfect synthesis of the productions of the region,” she exclaims. And to add, “between the established brands, the treasures, and the new entrants, all the winegrowers are first of all very complementary.” She has thus offered a wide variety of vineyards by the size of the farm, the positioning, the seniority, or even the geographical location.
Here is the presentation; now, let’s go for the tasting.
Four big names from the Côte des Bar
Let’s start our journey with one of the oldest in the wine industry in France – founded in 1808 – and especially as well-known in France as internationally: the Maison Drappier.
