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 By Ian MacTavish
For most of the world, champagne is simply a delight in a glass. Many never hold or pop a bottle. Fewer still walk the countryside and the caves that are the very foundation of those minute bubbles of pleasure. Circling above Reims and Epernay 145 km east of Paris, you'd think you'd seen much more spectacular country elsewhere in the world. True. It appears very modest for such an important swathe of real estate. It is very flat, except for some small mountains, well, hills, around the Valley of the Marne. Basically neat, soft and green. The treasure is buried below. The whole area stands on chalk. Calcium carbonate. Limestone. Belimnita quadrata chalk. It is excellent for growing vines and it is excellent for digging cellars ... two vital requirements for magnificent sparkling wine. Thousands of years ago the Remi tribes (yes, Reims) would have done some digging here, but it was the Romans who perfected the extraction of this stone. With a top entrance only a metre or so square they dug down 10, 20 metres expanding outwards as they went leaving huge caverns like square-shaped hollow pyramids. These chalk pits, called crayeres, now interconnected with more modern tunnels, are much prized by the Champagne houses. in 1734, M. Jacques Fourneaux became one of the first merchants of champagne. In 1932 his company, the third oldest champagne house, was purchased by Pierre Taittinger. During the 30s Pierre also acquired many vineyards and the lovely Chateau de la Marquetterie which today...
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