A visit to Dom Pérignon’s hometown
Most will have tasted the renowned Champagne brand, Dom Pérignon, whose first vintage was made in 1921, and whose bottles were first sold in 1936. It is one of the great Champagnes.
But fewer would know the story of the man. Dom Pérignon lived from 1638 to 1715, and was a monk and cellar master at the Benedictine abbey in Hautvillers, Champagne. He pioneered a number of winemaking techniques around 1670, especially blending grapes to improve the quality of wines.
But the development of sparkling wines as the main style of production in Champagne only occurred progressively in the 19th century, more than a century after Dom Pérignon’s death.
Dom’s wine was served in Versailles and enthusiastically praised by none other than the Sun King, Louis XIV. In the 19th century, Dom Pierre Pérignon’s legacy became the stuff of legend.
So we decided to make the trek from Epernay to Hautvillers, Dom’s hometown, where he is buried in the choir of Saint-Sindulphe church. The walk out of Epernay is a bit flat and dreary. But as you climb the hills, through the vineyards, it is wonderfully beautiful, with long sweeping vistas of the sea of vines which engulf the hillside slopes.
The village is surprisingly intact, with lovely buildings. This is one of the very best wine villages that we have visited, and will warrant a return visit.
Links
Hautvillers
Hautvillers Champagne walking in the footsteps of Dom Perignon
Hautvillers in the Grande Vallée de la Marne
Logistics
Train from Paris to Epernay. Then I walked over to the north side of the train line to make my way up to Hautvillers. A solid day’s walk of 15 km