Magnum, P.I.

We began in Épernay, France and had another day of fun in Champagne-land.

We took the opportunity to explore the town a bit. Our adventures thus far keep pulling us around the region and this was really our first good look at the place.

"Dom Pierre Pérignon December 1638 – 14 September 1715), was a French Benedictine monk who made important contributions to the production and quality of Champagne wine in an era when the region's wines were predominantly still red. Popular tales frequently, but erroneously, credit him with the invention of sparkling Champagne, which did not become the dominant style of Champagne until the mid-19th century."

City hall looked very classy.

Lydia did a good job engraining into Ernie that there was a sign that said to keep out of this fountain. So he stayed out of this fountain.

Église Notre-Dame d'Épernay

I assume this is Joan of Arc.

Crepe me baby one more time

Ernie was a fan of the roadside Mirabelle plums I acquired for our tribe.

But we didn't come to Champagne just to sit a around and suck plum. We came here to drink champagne. To the fields!

Today we checked out Champagne Henry de Vaugency in Oger, France.

It was a very cute little mom and pop operation.

I think this one we just listened to the spiel and did a tasting all in their winery cave.

They said they pull 80 liters a day from the dehumidifier in the cave. 

Ernie thinks the cherubs present in the decor are babies. He says "baba" at them.

Are there ever two years that taste the same? 

"Never. The weather and quality of the grapes is different every year.

I learn with my father and grandfather and now my son."

The wine was good and the owner guy was nice. They had "magnum" bottles which are double sized. I liked the wine and I thought the double bottle was pretty baller so I grabbed some. He was so quaint that his receipt system was some pencil scribbling in a notebook. "Gave you a discount on the wine because you pretty much bought 6 bottles." He even gave Ernie a garish snow globe magnet thing. I was happy to buy stuff from the smaller operations. Not only did it make me feel more wholesome putting money in their pocket, their small operations meant I likely would never taste this wine again. On the other hand the giant corps have stuff I could buy at my local supermarket back in the United States.

The menu and the brochure were all very plasticky type paper, I think normal paper would mold away.

We had a nice meal at a Swiss chalet themed restaurant in Pierry, France called La Marotte.

We went to a supermarket. This wasn't notable beside the fact that they used the different champagne bottle types as the name of the different rows in the parking lot.

Big Ern has been really enthused about watching varying Olympic events on tv. I guess we don't watch a lot of sports of any kind on tv at home so this is all quite the experience for him.

I may be developing a chemical dependency on these fruit pudding cup things.