From vine to cask to bottle to glass

€8 well spent - the taxi arranged by the camp site took just the two of us - at 10.30 am! - up into the hills to a small champagne house.

There an English-speaking young woman showed us round, explaining the process of making champagne. We had done similar visits to wineries in Germany and New Zealand, and of course whisky and gin distilleries in Scotland. But this process was of course more complex and very interesting, especially the bit about rotating the bottles so that the sediment doesn't settle and then how the sediment is eventually removed when it has done its work.

She wanted to chat to improve her English while we tasted 4 glasses and a liqueur. We mentioned that champagne was a special treat for us - she said everything with her is an excuse to drink it - even making a cake! She asked what we'd drink instead of champagne - I told her Prosecco was very popular in UK just now, or Cava but we preferred Cremande de Jura. She said "good choice - that region adjoins this so the soil, climate and process are the same - it just can't call itself Champagne as it is a few miles from the designated region - but I didn't tell you that!'

Of course we bought a case. Then the taxi brought us (and our champagne) back to the camp site - we might need a little snooze in the sun now. What a lovely way to spend our last day - tomorrow we have the prospect of a 33C drive to Calais with no aircon.

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