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Journey Across France, Spain and Portugal:ChampagneI dont like northern France much so I tend to make for the motorway and drive as far south as possible before taking to the side-roads. This time we made it to Reims before cutting off towards Epernay. This is champagne country. As you drive south of Reims the place fills with vines in neat rows, all carefully clipped, and thriving on the chalk hillsides. The guide book says: "20,000 hectares of vineyards stretch all around you, whilst under your feet lie 200 million bottles of champagne aging in 120 kilometres of cellars carved out of the chalk soil over hundreds of years." "Founded in 1743, the cellars of Moet and Chandon span approximately 17 miles underground. Millions of carefully stacked bottles of champagne frame the walkways and staircases of the cellars. 45-60 minute tours are offered, which are both interesting and informative (some are available in English). Champagne tastings are available for a fee."  "Founded by Eugene Mercier in 1847, Mercier Champagne offers tours of its cellars which include a laser-guided train, a chance to see the 160,000 litre barrel that took two decades to build and other features." Having said all that I'm not a fan of fizzy wine. What I found attractive was the view of the vineyards as you come down the road from Reims. The road bursts out of a hillside and drops down into the valley. In front of you stretch miles of the vines. The grapes are still on the vines and, unfortunately, it was raining, which is just what the vines do not need at this stage of their development. Rain will only dilute the juices. Let's hope the next couple of weeks will bring dry sunny weather.  We skirted Troyes and kept to the side roads. They are excellent, with long straight stretches and little traffic. Due south is the town of Chaource. This is rather charming, with sweet old fashioned houses, windowboxes, some pretty restaurants, and a couple of hotels. It was also quite a lively place, which was unusual for this neck of the woods, where villages and towns alike generally seemed totally dead. Apparently the area is noted for its cheese. It's a soft cheese of cow's milk with flowered crust, its slightly salted paste must contain 50% fat at least. Of cylindrical form, it has a light odor of mushrooms and cream, with a soft fruity hazel nut savour with some acidity. It is ideal at the end of the meal accompanied by a wine of the area like the Rosé of Riceys. Chaource is also consumed as an aperitif, cut out in cubes, with a glass of Port or with Champagne. This is an area devoted to agriculture, which is really big business. There are also woods everywhere. One village particularly impressed me, for what may seem a silly reason. In some ways it reminded me of Romania, but a dead Romania. The village of Prusy is midway between Chaource and Tonnerre. As we drove through it I noticed that every single house on the right hand side of the road contained a large central courtyard surrounded by barns, most of which were derelict. Is this a place to come to and develop a range of farm buildings into something interesting? The next town of Tonnerre was rather dull, except for one massive building with a tiled roof the size of a football field. Tomorrow we hit the Burgundy area proper and the Rhone valley. >>> The
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