Waking early in Epernay, I quickly showered and packed my bags, ready for my breakfast of yogurt, tea and baguette and our collective departure for Reims. We again boarded our bus and headed through the countryside toward the city. Day two in Champagne was to be a very full day – Ruinart and Krug, followed by a short break and dinner at the former Krug family home.

Upon arrival at Ruinart , we were greeted by Julie, our darling Belgian host, and taken down the steep steps into the crayéres owned by the maison. The chalk mines were once used to create the beautiful churches and cathedrals of the country, as well as other architectural sites, and now are home to many bottles of phenomenal Champagne. Interestingly, many of the caves took well over 500 years to be fully developed and there are demarcation lines along the walls marking the progress of the stoneworkers, giving a glimpse of the different periods of labor in the mines. We were taken first to a cave of 10 stories beneath the city and then down into a space double that depth – it was incredible to imagine not only the work that had been put into the crayéres, but the fact that during the World Wars people actually lived their daily lives in these caves. I can only hope that the Champagne helped to boost their spirits.

Moving back up into the maison, we were introduced to Frédéric Panatios, winemaker at Ruinart, and led through a tasting of the wines. It was a very informal experience, with all of us sitting and enjoying the Champagne on chairs and sofas in the salon. If it were not for the scheduled itinerary, I could imagine myself at a friend’s home sipping bubbles and delighting in conversation about business and wine and so on. Well … until the beautiful bottle of 1990 Dom Ruinart Rosé was opened by Frédéric and we had the pleasure of imbibing before our imminent departure. Alas, it was time to move on and as we thanked Frédéric and Julie, we promised to sell a lot of Ruinart once back in the states – so, friends, buy a bottle or a few and enjoy! It is truly a treat and the nectar of the gods.

Off we were to lunch at Brasserie du Boulingrin, a fantastic little restaurant in town where several of us were able to sample oysters at the outdoor stand before our more formal lunch indoors. The crisp spring air and the oysters mixed wonderfully and our experience was enhanced by the wonderful gentleman serving our briny friends – he was enchanted with Jane, our beautiful companion, making the experience even more of a treat. Indoors we dined on more oysters (yum!), then a country-style dish prepared with sliced leg of lamb on white beans in sauce, followed by yet more fromages. I hesitate to say this was one of my favorite meals only because there were so many favorites.

Satisfied by our fantastic lunch, we took our short walk to Krug. As always with Krug, I was blind-sided by the simplicity and the grandeur, seemingly opposing characteristics. Here at one of the most coveted Champagne houses in the region, we entered a very austere courtyard (by French standards) and ushered into the main tasting room for a flute of Grande Cuvee. The light from the courtyard cast a glow on the room and warmed us as we crossed into the barrel room and to the humid cellars. Inside the main winemaking facility, we were introduced to the many techniques used at Krug, from the barrel fermentation, to the stainless tanks used for ageing, and finally, the bottles stored for drinking later this decade or longer.

Back up to ground level, we were taken through a tasting of Grande Cuvee, Vintage and Clos d’Mesnil by Olivier Krug, in that order. Most houses will do the tasting in the opposite way, but given that Krug Grande Cuvee is a multi-vintage composed of wines from the vintage Champagnes and the single vineyard Champagnes, it was eye-opening to taste the elements that go into the wine that is most cherished at Krug – not the vintage, not the single-vineyard, but the Grande Cuvee, an assemblage composed of over 50 different wines comprising several vintages and years of ageing, not to mention ageing potential. Later that night, we were treated to a Moroccan trio of tangines paired with Krug and, finally, a stone-fruit dessert served with Krug Collection 1982.

In less than two days, we were already truly exposed to the reason Champagne is so expensive and rare – and why it is one of the most wonderful things humans have ever produced.