It is not hard to guess why the Champagne region is famous, since the world’s most celebrated party drink the world over is from here. Some names you will know are:

Billecart – Salmon; Bollinger; De Castellane, Krug; Lanson; Laurent-Perrier; Mercier; Moet & Chandon; Mumm; Piper-Heidsieck; Pommery; Louis Roederer; Ruinart; Taittinger; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.

Reims is the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, and many of the champagne houses headquartered there offer private or group tastings and cellar tours. For more than 1,000 years, French kings were crowned at its Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. This grand cathedral is known for its stained-glass windows and Gothic carved portals, including the Smiling Angel.