Frank Afficionado : Cigars In The Champagne Region

While I have “parked my pen”, my friend Frank “Afficionado” sent me these notes on a recent trip we took together. Nino

My wife told me that we would have the weekend to ourselves.
The kids would be off to the sea with school, so let’s go somewhere to relax.
Only a few weeks earlier I was talking to Nino that we should do a trip to the Champagne region together with our better halves.

So one and one made two. Champagne it would be.

Rendez-vous was at 11:00 at the Chateau in Cuisles for a day of drinking, eating, smoking and talking.

We stayed there in Cuisles, a one horse village with a beautiful and very spacious chateau-hotel where the young owner produces his own champagne of which we had a bottle right after arrival : www.chateau-de-cuisles.com/ 

Just taking it easy and having fun in the sun.
And sun there was.  No cloud to be seen so we had plenty of opportunity to smoke some fine cigars outside while nipping on a glass of Champagne.

Lunch was nearby, freshly caught trout at a restaurant next to the pond.
More cigars followed.

Back to the chateau and nipping soon turned into drinking, followed by a long and detailed tasting at Les Caves de Dumangin : www.champagne-jean-dumangin.fr

As no dinner was served at the chateau, we took a cab to Epernay, 45 minutes away and enjoyed this stylish and excellent Brasserie in the city centre for a splendid dinner : www.brasserie-labanque.fr

Food, ambiance, service and beverage list was unique, we chose a Champagne for aperitif and Foie Gras and a Bordeaux for the lamb, all excellent.

The day just flew by and before we knew it Nino and I were finishing the last bottle of the day under a star filled sky puffing away on Montecristo Ed. Limitada 2008 Sublimes.

We received another good recommendation : Les Berceaux, which gives us an excuse to return soon having made proper reservations : www.lesberceaux.com/ 

The drive from both Germany and Belgium is a little over 3 hrs and our wives would love to return soon.

After breakfast at the chateau we had cigars in the sunny courtyard and then it was time for us to go back home as we had to collect the kids at the train station that afternoon.

I think it is fair to say that all four of us had a splendid time in la douce France so we will be doing it again soon.

Frank “Afficionado”