The villages in the vineyards of the Montagne de
Reims, Côte des Blancs and Vallée de la Marne which surround Epernay,
promote a range of "attractions": the world's largest champagne bottle
and cork in Mardeuil ; the world's largest champagne glass and an artisan chocolate producer in Pierry ; a snail farm in Olizy-Violaine ; a museum of marriage in Oger ; and a traditional vigneron 's house and early twentieth-century school room at Oeuilly
. Full details of these are available from Epernay's tourist office,
along with lists of all the champagne producers. But the best reason
for taking yourself out into the countryside is to view the vines. Many
of the villages have conserved their sleepy old stone charm: VERTUS , 16km south of Epernay, is particularly pretty, and so too is HAUTVILLERS
, 6km north of town, where you can see the abbey of Dom Pérignon fame.
Various "champagne excursions" by minibus, horse-drawn carriage or
hot-air balloon are touted, but there are regular local buses from Epernay's gare routière .
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