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By R. Couri Hay<\/strong><\/p>\n I arrived in late January, traditionally the quietest time of year,<\/u>\u00a0when the vineyards are asleep, but the Champagne still flows, and the area\u2019s nine Michelin-star restaurants are mostly still open as the region is becoming a year-round destination. The hotel also possesses a world-class spa with\u00a0both<\/u>\u00a0indoor and outdoor Olympic-length pools heated to resemble a dip in the warm waters of St.<\/u>\u00a0Barts. There\u2019s a sauna and steam room and a wide variety of treatments. I had a massage, a facial, and a glass of Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Champagne to put me in the perfect mood. The hotel has lovely restaurants and bars, including the one Michelin-star Le Royal, and a breakfast buffet that was nothing less than sublime. Dinner was also a treat, and the service was impeccable,<\/u>\u00a0both for the humans and dogs. Yes, I encountered two dogs, a brown Rhodesian Ridgeback and an adorable tri-color King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, who sat quietly at the table next to ours.\u00a0Tr\u00e8s Fran\u00e7ais, n\u2019est-ce pas?<\/em>\u00a0royalchampagne.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n I spent my first day at the celebration of International Sous Vide Day hosted by Cuisine Solutions, the world\u2019s largest and most trusted producer of sous vide foods. The event,\u00a0held\u00a0<\/u>at the picturesque Ch\u00e2teau Comtesse Lafond, also celebrated the 81st<\/sup>\u00a0birthday of Dr. Bruno Goussault, the master of sous vide and the greatest scientific innovator of the technique. Guests included the company\u2019s chairman,<\/u>\u00a0Stanislas Vilgrain,\u00a0C<\/u>hief\u00a0S<\/u>trategy\u00a0O<\/u>fficer\u00a0C<\/u>hef Gerard Bertholon, and CMO Tom Donohoe, who surprised his girlfriend, Allison Sells, by asking her to marry him during the event with a diamond the size of the Ritz. She said yes, and no fewer than 14 Michelin-star chefs led the applause. Cuisine Solutions held concurrent sous vide celebrations in Washington, DC, and Bangkok, Thailand, as the company has a significant presence in North America and Asia, as well as in Europe.\u00a0cuisinesolutions.com<\/em><\/p>\n Le Parc Les Cray\u00e8res<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n On another night, I went to the very grand two-Michelin-star restaurant Le Parc Les Cray\u00e8res. We had the truffle tasting menu, each course paired with the appropriate Champagne, including an <\/p>\n Avenue de Champagne<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n A tour of the Champagne houses is de rigueur,<\/u>\u00a0but plan ahead,<\/u>\u00a0as these private tours book up quickly. The first thing you need to ask your driver to do is ride down Epernay\u2019s famous Avenue de Champagne. Along the treelined road paved with bubbles, you\u2019ll pass all the grand mansions of Champagne, including Dom Ruinart, Moet Chandon, Veuve Clic<\/u>quo<\/u>t, and Krug, among many other houses whose vintages are superb but not as well known outside of France. Ask your concierge for a few ideas if you\u2019re in the mood to be adventurous.<\/p>\n Champagne has a long history, going back to the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0century,<\/u>\u00a0when the Romans planted vineyards in this region of northeastern France. The pinot noir grapes that thrived in this climate produced a pale, pinkish wine, far different from the lush reds from the southern Burgundy region. It was an accident of nature that created the bubbly we know and love today.<\/p>\n The cold winters in Champagne caused fermentation to halt and restart in the spring, releasing carbon dioxide trapped inside the bottles.\u00a0T<\/u>he pressure from the gas\u00a0often\u00a0<\/u>caused the bottles to explode, but those that survived contained bubbles, which was originally considered a flaw. In the 1600s, winemakers, like the Benedictine Monk Dom P\u00e9rignon, were still trying to rid their wines of the bubbles, but the sparkling versions of Champagne wines grew in popularity, eventually becoming a favorite among the French nobility. By the 19th<\/sup>\u00a0century, winemakers had learned how to create bubbles deliberately, and advances in these methods by the house of Veuve Clicquot made the production of sparkling wine on a large scale feasible. Champagne houses blossomed in the 1800s, and the modern Champagne industry was born.<\/p>\n An equally hot newcomer this winter is another New York import, Cote, the Michelin-starred Haute Korean barbecue steakhouse that opened in the Design District in February. The finest wagyu beef, dry-aged on-site, is cooked on tabletop grills \u2013 smokeless, so your designer duds remain odor-free – and \u201csteak and eggs\u201d on the menu is filet mignon tartare topped with caviar. The most popular order is the $54-per-head butcher\u2019s feast, and for high rollers, there\u2019s a 10-course steak omakase for $165. For this location, Cote has added some Miami-only dishes, including a ceviche with Amberjack, snapper, and cobia. Guests have included American Rapper NAS, film producer Peter Bittenbender, and Seth Browarnik.\u00a0Cotemiami.com (305) 434-4668<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n House of Pommery<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n If you can only visit one house, I suggest Pommery because they have the most extensive and dramatic chalk caves\u2014<\/u>twelve miles to be exact\u2014<\/u>almost 100 feet belowground, which serves to Bring your walking shoes.\u00a0<\/u>I counted 121 steps to get down to the cave,\u00a0<\/u>but it\u2019s worth it. Over 25 million bottles of Champagne are stored\u00a0t<\/u>here. Y<\/u>ou read that right! Along the corridors, you\u2019ll see the different sized bottles, including Piccolo, Salmanazar, Balthazar, Nebuchadnezzars and Goliath. At the end of the tour, which you can do on your own or with a private guide, which I suggest, there is a tasting of different vintages. Pace yourself.\u00a0champagnepommery.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n House of Ruinart<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Benedictine Monk Dom Thierry Ruinart, a native of Champagne, spent time in Paris in the 17th<\/sup>\u00a0century, where young aristocrats were enthusiastic about an exciting new \u201cwine with bubbles.\u201d Dom Ruinart traveled widely but eventually returned to his home turf, working in the wine cellars alongside another monk, Dom P\u00e9rignon. Together, the two developed methods to improve sparkling wine production, solving the problem of bottles exploding under pressure during the fermentation process.<\/p>\n Dom Ruinart\u2019s nephew, Nicolas Ruinart, took up his uncle\u2019s interest in winemaking and,<\/u>\u00a0in 1729,<\/u>\u00a0founded Maison Ruinart, the world\u2019s first Champagne house. Louis XV had just authorized the transport of wine in bottles rather than barrels; with the bubbles created inside bottles, this meant Ruinart\u2019s \u201cwine with bubbles\u201d could be sold throughout France and beyond. In 1768 Ruinart acquired its Roman-era chalk quarries, and five miles of tunnels 125 feet below the city of Reims were hollowed out to store its bottles. Classified as a historical monument in 1931, t<\/u>hese chalk \u201cCray\u00e8res,\u201d providing stable temperatures and perfect humidity levels, make for a fascinating tour.\u00a0<\/strong>Their Blanc de Blanc pressing is one of my favorite champagnes.\u00a0ruinart.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n House of Dom P\u00e9rignon<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Dom Pierre P\u00e9rignon, the Benedictine monk whose efforts shaped the foundation of the champenoise method, making the production of sparkling wine commercially viable, is so revered that his statue stands at the entrance to Mo\u00ebt & Chandon\u2019<\/u>s headquarters in Epernay. When he died in 1715, he was buried in a part of the abbey cemetery traditionally reserved only for abbots as a show of respect.<\/p>\n The P\u00e9rignon House is in the former Benedictine Abbey of Hautvillers on a hillside overlooking the Marne Valley. Originally founded in 650 AD, the Abbey was destroyed and rebuilt more than once through the centuries.\u00a0<\/strong>The current building, where P\u00e9rignon lived and worked for 47 years, went up in the 16th<\/sup>\u00a0century with the support of Catherine de M\u00e9dicis. Who else would tell you these things?\u00a0domperignon.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n House of Krug<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The House of Krug was f<\/u>ounded in 1843 by visionary Joseph Krug with the goal of blending wines from different years to consistently produce the very best. Krug\u2019s singular approach has given it the reputation as the Haute Couture Champagne. Its signature Krug Grande Cuvee is aged for over 20 years. Housed in the family\u2019s\u00a0<\/u>circa 1868 estate, the House of Krug features a collection of unique relics, a portrait of the founder, and his notebook containing his vision for the Grand Cuvee, which you will taste on your tour. A wall of 400 wines is where the cellar master auditions wines to be used in creating each year\u2019s new edition, a music room contains the reserve wines, and the Krug Yurt, in the garden, is where you\u2019ll experience immersive \u201cechoes\u201d tastings, where wine is paired with music.\u00a0krug.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Veuve Clicquot House & The Ghost<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Founded in 1772 by trader Philippe Clicquot-Muiron and taken over in 1798 by his son, Fran\u00e7ois. However, this renowned Champagne house truly blossomed with a woman at the helm. When Fran\u00e7ois unexpectedly died, his wife, Barbe, took over the business, \u201cVeuve\u201d meaning \u201cwidow\u201d in French, and proved to be a passionate winemaker, introducing innovations including the ros\u00e9 Champagne recipe, which is used by most modern champagne houses today.<\/p>\n The house\u2019s history is noteworthy. Their fifteen miles of chalk cellars date back to the Middle Ages. A faded Red Cross sign on the chalk walls is a reminder of when the cellars were used as an infirmary during World War I. One of 46 antique Veuve Clicquot bottles found in 2010 in the 19th-century F\u00f6gl\u00f6 wreck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in Finland is on display.\u00a0 Madame Clicquot\u2019s original house is still used by the company for visiting VIP guests. I encountered Barbe\u2019s charming ghost when I slept in her bedroom. Have you ever?\u00a0veuveclicquot.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n House of Taittinger<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Pierre Taittinger bought a Champagne house in the 1930s and relaunched the business, offering elegant sparkling wines under the Taittinger name. The family\u2019s third generation still runs the house today. The Taittinger House, which includes the ruins of the 13th<\/sup>-century Saint-Nicaise Abbey, destroyed during the French Revolution, and UNESCO-listed Roman-era chalk caves, is undergoing a 2-year renovation, so tastings have been detoured to the delightful Residence of the Counts of Champagne in Reims.<\/p>\n Owned by Taittinger, the 13th<\/sup>-century Gothic\u2013<\/u>style pile\u2014<\/u>Demeure des Comtes de Champagne in French\u2014<\/u>its name derives from the fact that it served as the residence of the Counts of Champagne when they came to Reims for the coronation of the kings of France at the Cathedral of Reims.<\/strong>\u00a0After being partially destroyed during WW I, Taittinger bought it and restored it,<\/u>\u00a0and it is used for cultural events.\u00a0taittinger.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The Saint James Hotel: Paris<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n We drove back to Paris for a round of stylish parties. I checked into one of my favorite Parisian hotels, The Saint James, in the heart of the quiet, leafy 16th<\/sup>\u00a0arrondissement and mere steps from the elegant Avenue Foch. This is Paris\u2019s only chateau hotel boasting its own enchanting gardens. The Saint James just debuted a complete renovation encompassing all 50 guest rooms and suites, the addition of an indoor pool, and an expansion of the sublime Guerlain spa. The new swimming pool offers views of the distinctive Paris sky, and you can steam any tension away in the hammam and have a relaxing massage. The Saint James\u2019s signature treatment, the D\u00e9dicace Guerlain, with 90 minutes of blissful body and facial treatments, is not to be missed.<\/p>\n Landscape architect Xavier de Chirac refreshed the lush gardens, and Michelin-starred chef Julien Dumas launched a new restaurant, Bellefeuille, at the hotel. French interior designer Laura Gonzalez retained all that was wonderful about the stately 19th<\/sup>-century former mansion and enhanced and livened its grandeur, mixing Versailles parquet flooring, geometric patterning, Japanese style panoramic wallpaper, Art Deco accents, frescoes by local craftsmen, and custom rugs,\u00a0bien s\u00fbr<\/em>. The whole feels like a swank English country estate with chic Parisian flair.<\/p>\n In the Bellefeuille restaurant, chef Julien Dumas whips up inventive, nature-inspired fare using seasonal and local ingredients. Indeed, fruits and vegetables come from The Saint James\u2019s own organic gardens located just outside the city. Whatever\u00a0C<\/u>hef Dumas doesn\u2019t make in-house is sourced from providers with similarly eco-responsible methods. T<\/u>he restaurant\u2019s breads and pastries are from renowned chef\/baker Julien Dubou\u00e9, a former Daniel Boulud prot\u00e9g\u00e9.<\/p>\n St. James Paris: A Relais & Chateau & J.MAK.com Member<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The Saint James\u2019s Library Bar, where nowadays lunch, tea,<\/u>\u00a0and cocktails are served, is a real library dating from the property\u2019s student housing era. The leather-bound books and comfy, deep armchairs are not just d\u00e9cor. In the 1980s, the building was turned into a private club, and in 1991 became a hotel, now part of the Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux collection.\u00a0\u00a0saint-james-paris.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\nRoyal Champagne Hotel<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n
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It\u2019s a fast overnight flight to Paris, so once arrived, you are ready to jump into the luxury sedan sent by the Royal Champagne Hotel in Epernay.<\/u>\u00a0They whisk you to the romantic world of castles, ch\u00e2<\/u>teaus, and vast vineyards that produce the magic that ultimately becomes Champagne. There are over 370 Champagne houses using grapes from 20,000 farmers in the region. On the 90-minute drive from Paris, you roll through picturesque villages and miles of grapevines to arrive at a sleek, modern, low-slung Frank Lloyd Wright-esque hotel perched on a hill with the best views in Epernay, the seat of Champagne. The view from the Hotel is like a C\u00e9zanne painting. T<\/u>he hamlet\u2019s ecru and terracotta-colored roofs surrounded by endless vineyards is a perfect setting for this elegant 5-star hotel. My room is a minimalist wonder, spacious and chicly appointed in neutral tones, allowing the eyes to focus on the view through floor-to-ceiling windows leading onto\u00a0the\u00a0<\/u>private balcony.<\/p>\nCuisine Solutions\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0International Sous Vide Day<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n
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\u00a0extraordinary bottle of Jacques Selosse V.O. that took us to the heavens. Needless to say, every course was celestial. Standouts were the roasted scallops with black truffle slices and the black truffle capellini. The chocolate cream, caramelized pecans and cherry confit with truffles were magnifique. It\u2019s the only way, really! The restaurant is in the Domaine Les Cray\u00e8res, a small hotel formerly the chateau of the De Polignac family, which had a long history in the French nobility. In 1775, Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchess of Polignac, became a favorite of the queen, Marie Antoinette, and subsequently spent years living at the Palace of Versailles.\u00a0lescrayeres.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/parkmagazineny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/4.-Pommerys-%CE%93CGigantesque%CE%93C%C2%A5.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1\")
\u00a0ventilate the cellars. There is also a large and fun art installation throughout; a giant tree festooned with oversize fruit, an enormous glass box that blows a blizzard of feathers, giant screens of crashing waves, and another depicting a storm in a forest. The caves also have the original carved sculptures on the walls, some permanent, some temporary, the remnants of past art exhibits. Mada<\/u>me Pommery, who created the estate in 1868 after her husband\u2019s passing, and her daughter, Louise, were art lovers and patrons of up-and-coming artists. The company continues to support artists today, hosting annual exhibits in the cellars.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/parkmagazineny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/10.-Saint-James-Paris-.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1\")
The Saint James has an interesting history. Built in 1892 at the behest of the widow of former French\u00a0P<\/u>resident Adolphe Thiers, the mansion was originally used to house a small number, only 15 at a time, of France\u2019s most promising students on scholarships. The estate was the site of the first-ever hot-air balloon airfield, hence the bucolic 50,000-square-foot garden in the middle of Paris.<\/p>\n