Our day began approximately at 6:45 today when we loaded onto a bus and made our way to Champagne, France—a special thank you to our sponsor, Julia Child Foundation, for today’s excursion. We were able to take advantage of visiting two separate wineries, both known for being family-owned vineyards. Our first stop was at the Champagne Duval-Leroy vineyards. The director, who overlooks all the vineyards, had us walk into some of the vineyards to learn a bit more about the winery’s history & viticulture background and how climate has influenced the growing seasons of the grapes. On the walk over, I didn’t include him in the pictures because I forgot, but I named a snail I found and took photos of the snail with flowers. Later on, I felt slightly guilty for ordering the escargot.
Lunch was a great and well-needed break between the two tours, as it was a few hours for the first tour, and I accidentally forgot to bring some breakfast. I enjoyed the escargot with scrambled eggs, I believe it was the best I’ve tried! This cod filet fell apart on the fork and melted in your mouth with the perfect contrast of the crunchy fried exterior. It was finished with a pannacotta topped with wild berries that complimented the lightness of the panna cotta.
Our Champagne tasting in the Duval-Leroy was an experience I would never forget. I’ve tasted the difference in the “cru” wines, from Premier to Gran, and had more Photo Collageexperience with the tasting process. As gorgeous as the facilities were at the Duval-Leroy, the second vineyard, Champagne Geffroy Winery, was a more intimate experience. It felt very personable and way more inviting for questions and learning about the winery passed down through a few generations. Something interesting is that the family’s second daughter is currently intrigued by traveling, exploring different reds worldwide, and looking for ways to improve her family’s vineyard.
