Champagne

For an introduction to the world of Champagne, follow the signpost-heavy wine roads “Montagne de Reims” (a 45-mile swath curving from Reims to Epernay) and “Vallée de la Marne” (a 56-mile itinerary beginning and ending in Epernay). Winegrowers displaying the Route Touristique du Champagne “Accueil” sign offer cellar tours and tastings. Make the pilgrimage to engaging Hautvillers, where the 17th-century cellar master Dom Perignon invented the process for making Champagne in a Benedictine abbey. A half-day or more should also be devoted to Epernay, with its Avenue de Champagne lined with stately mansions owned by some of the most illustrious Champagne houses.