Champagne region approx 160 km from Paris
Cool 8-12 deg - sunny
This is our very first time to the Champagne region in France, so forgive me for getting just a tinsy bit EXCITED!
I cannot believe how beautiful this little town in the middle of the champagne region is. Epernay is every thing and more than I imagined - tree lined streets - cobbled paths - fountains - little churches - just gorgeous and the best thing of all a street named "rue de Champagne", the avenue that is home to all of the best known champagne houses and runs the entire length of the town.
We stay in a delightful 12 room hotel, Hotel Jean Moet - www.hoteljeanmoet.com, ideally located around 200 metres from the train station and around 20 metres from the Ave de Champagne. Perfect for our visits to the Moet Chandon and Pol Roger Champagne houses.
Thanks to our wine merchants in Brisbane we have two private tours and tastings arranged, one to the each of these champagne houses. Both tours were quite different - Moet + Chandon is the largest producer of champagne in the region with approximately 29 kilometres of underground chalk lined caves for the maturation of the champagne. Pol Roger is a slightly more boutique production, but both visits were absolutely unique.
Thanks to Matthieu Blanc from Pol Roger for such a wonderful informative tour. There are approximately 100 km of caves running underneath the region at a steady temperature of 10 degrees all of the year.The production line is quite complex and all champagnes are cellared for a minimum of three years before bottling. We are all in heaven and having an experience of a lifetime. The importance and significance of this region and the production of champagne is obvious and understandable why the French are so protective of their unique product "Champagne".
We eat at a few local restaurants. We enjoyed a typical French meal at La Grillade Gourmande, with chef Christophe Bernard greeting all customers personally , www.lagrilladegourmande.com I had a wonderful dish of quail and Foie gras - beautifully cooked.
At any bar or restaurant you can choose up to 20 local champagnes by the glass and enjoy the experience at any time of the day - as we did!
Two days in Epernay - a wonderful experience but barely enough time. We didn't make it to Reims, the larger town , so we are planning our next visit now!
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Tognini’s CaféDeli
Milton
Milton Centro, Baroona Road
T: 3369 0915, F: 3876 2955
Open: Mon-Fri 7.00am-6.00pm;
Saturday 7.00am-3.00pm
Milton
Milton Centro, Baroona Road
T: 3369 0915, F: 3876 2955
Open: Mon-Fri 7.00am-6.00pm;
Saturday 7.00am-3.00pm
Sunday 8.00am-3.00pm
Tognini’s Trattoria
Spring Hill
Cnr Turbot & Boundary Streets,
T: 3831 5300, F: 3831 5311
Open: Mon-Fri 7.00am-6.00pm;
Sat-Sun 8.00am-3.00pm
Tognini’s Trattoria
Spring Hill
Cnr Turbot & Boundary Streets,
T: 3831 5300, F: 3831 5311
Open: Mon-Fri 7.00am-6.00pm;
Sat-Sun 8.00am-3.00pm
Tognini’s Espresso
Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley
20 Hynes Street
T: 07 3852 6230
T: 07 3852 6230
Open: Mon–Fri 7.00am–4.00pm
About the Togninis
Life is too short to eat bad food!
For the past 15 years we have lived our dream of offering fine food to the people of Brisbane through Tognini’s Deli at Milton, Tognini’s BistroCafeDeli at Spring Hill and Tognini’s CaféWineBar at the State Library of Queensland.
So how did a builder and a nurse end up running three of Brisbane’s finest delis? We used to throw the best dinner parties our friends had ever seen. All too soon we exhausted their palates and expanded their waistlines so much we had to find a new group of passionate foodies. We began with Togninis Milton Deli Café and kept growing with the ideal of offering great food, a great experience and the opportunity to learn.
Mark says: The cheese connection started with a childhood passion for big Italian cheeses such as gorgonzola, taleggio and parmesan. I’m happiest surrounded by giant wheels of parmesan, blocks of cheddar and logs of brie, drinking in the distinctive aromas in Tognini’s cheese room.
Narelle says: While Mark grew up with pastas and ravioli making, in my home the emphasis was on traditional baking and preserving. Every weekend Mum would bake and preserve. She was a ‘Vacola’ expert. It was honest cooking where the most extravagant thing would have been spaghetti bolognaise, but I learnt the skills of cooking amongst the smell of freshly cooked scones.
www.togninis.com
So how did a builder and a nurse end up running three of Brisbane’s finest delis? We used to throw the best dinner parties our friends had ever seen. All too soon we exhausted their palates and expanded their waistlines so much we had to find a new group of passionate foodies. We began with Togninis Milton Deli Café and kept growing with the ideal of offering great food, a great experience and the opportunity to learn.
Mark says: The cheese connection started with a childhood passion for big Italian cheeses such as gorgonzola, taleggio and parmesan. I’m happiest surrounded by giant wheels of parmesan, blocks of cheddar and logs of brie, drinking in the distinctive aromas in Tognini’s cheese room.
Narelle says: While Mark grew up with pastas and ravioli making, in my home the emphasis was on traditional baking and preserving. Every weekend Mum would bake and preserve. She was a ‘Vacola’ expert. It was honest cooking where the most extravagant thing would have been spaghetti bolognaise, but I learnt the skills of cooking amongst the smell of freshly cooked scones.
www.togninis.com
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