Montagne de Reims

The Montagne de Reims is the wooded plateau and vine-clad slope just south of the city, a regional natural park known above all for Pinot Noir. Villages such as Verzenay and Verzy sit among the vines, and a number of small producers offer visits, tastings and tours. The linked product combines time among the vines with a triple tasting and a sabrage demonstration, the flamboyant technique of opening a bottle with a sabre. It is a relaxed, hands-on introduction to vineyard life that suits those who want a more personal experience than the big houses, and it gives a sense of where the grapes come from.

The landscape sets the tone. The slopes are covered in vines and the dominant grape is Pinot Noir, which gives structure to many of the region's blends. The villages are low and stone-built, with growers' cellars under the houses. Known landmarks include the lighthouse at Verzenay, a curious building that stands among the vines, and the twisted beech trees of Verzy, an odd forest worth seeing if you have time.

A day on the Montagne gives context for the wines you taste in Reims, and it is the best place to understand how soil, slope and climate shape the fruit.

On the tour itself, expect to walk a little among the rows, learn how the vines are pruned and harvested, and taste three champagnes, typically a premier cru style from the mountain, a blend and perhaps a rosé. The sabrage is the highlight for many: a bottle is opened with a single stroke of a sabre along the seam, removing the neck and cork in one go.

It looks dangerous but is safe when done correctly, and you may be invited to try. This kind of small-grower visit is also a good way to buy bottles that are hard to find outside the region.

A good combination is to pair the Montagne with a city-centre house the same day, tasting a large-house champagne in the morning and a grower's in the afternoon. Another option is to base yourself in the villages for a night or two, which gives time to walk or cycle between estates. Whatever the plan, the contrast between city and countryside is what makes the region rewarding, and the Montagne is the place where that contrast is most visible.

Because the Montagne is a regional park, it also offers walking and cycling options that are easy to add to a visit. Trails cross woodland and vines, and local tourist offices publish route maps. In autumn the colours of the vines turn from green to gold and red, and the harvest brings pickers into the rows, which is a memorable sight if your dates allow. Keep a few hours free after the tasting to wander a village, visit a bakery, and take in the unhurried rhythm of life among the vines.