What a beautiful way to start the week! At last, the moment we have been waiting for, clear blue skies and sun!
First stop: Monet & Chandon in Espernay, France
Our guide started off with a brief introduction of the history of Monet & Chandon as well as a video showing us the process of their champagne. The most anticipated part was the tour of the wine cellars 13 meters below, the third level and coolest part.
Sights of interests included, the vintage bottles, which Monet & Chandon save parts of it because of its value.
A wine barrel gifted by Napoleon dyrinf his last visit in 1814, as a symbol of the friendship between him and the Monet family.
A close-up shot of thelabelling in the wine cellar. From top to bottom, the top number shows the year, middle is the location of where it is stored in the xellar, and last the number of bottles in that particular section.
9,615 bottles?! That number is a understatement to how many bottles Monet & Chandon has intotal. 
Right before the riddling process, wine bottles are placed into these wooden racks so they can be turned once a day for up to 3 weeks. This process allows the sentiments or impurities that are in the wine travel to the neck of the bottle, which is part of the process to creating a clear and beautiful champagne.
Thank you to the staff at Monet & Chandon for hosting us! From the professional and demeanor of the tour guide to the building’s aesthetics, to the style of their champagne, and even the champagne packaging, Monet & Chandon is one of elegance, consistency, and discipline.
Some fun photos for your enjoyment!
From left to right: Professor Warner, Mayra (one of our amazing liaisons), Professor Lorenzini, Kim (amazing liaison #2!), And Professor Zinder.
Professor Wonder & I. Oh, and Yvonne the photobomber.
Professor Zinder & Sarah are huge fans of Monet. Can you tell?
Due to the length of this post, part II of “It’s always sunny in Champagn, France” to be continued in a second post.
In the next post, I will take us on a little tour of René Geoffrey’s vineyard in Ay, France. Till next time!
Bonne journée! Have a great day!
