Discovering Reims’ rich history
By Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services
(Tribune Media Services) — Imagine that happy day around 1700 when the monk Dom Perignon, after much fiddling with the double fermentation of his grape juice, stumbled onto a bubbly delight. Having tasted the very first glass of champagne, he ran through the abbey shouting, “Brothers, come quickly … I’m drinking stars!”
The drink he invented ultimately put the region of Champagne in northeastern France on the map. And thanks to a new TGV bullet train that lets you connect nearly hourly from Paris (in 45 minutes), the region and its delightful capital Reims (pronounced “rance”) are more accessible than ever.
