Day Trip from Paris

To celebrate the hundred-year anniversary of the design of the Fleur de Champagne bottle by art glassmaker, Emile Galle, Perrier Jouet has opened Maison Belle Epoque to a limited number of visitors. Galle fashioned the enameled bottle with white anemones at the request of his friend, the owner of the boutique champagne bottler. Located in Epernay, France, the House of Perrier Jouet is closely linked with the Art Noveau movement. Galle worked during the years when the style was in vogue and glass was a popular medium.

Room at Maison Belle Epoque

The mansion, dedicated to the Belle Epoque era, at 11, avenue de Champagne is on the site of property originally acquired in the middle of the 19th century by the Perrier Jouet family. More than 200 hundred original pieces of Edwardian furniture and objets d’art fill the small museum.

The day’s itinerary includes a tasting to introduce several vintages and an inspection of the cellars at the private guesthouse, as well as a visit to the Cote des Blancs vineyards in nearby Cramant. Alain Andre, chef at the Maison, created a special menu “100 Years of Romance,” which is served at lunch. Lobster, oysters, mushrooms and foie gras, foods that are thought to be aphrodisiacs, are used in the preparation of the dishes.

Before departing each guest receives a gift. Let’s hope it is Christofle flutes—a different one is used for each champagne—or the beautiful glasses that are modeled after the flower bottle.

To schedule at visit, contact Mrs. Frederique Baveret, tel. 33 (0) 2 26 53 38 10, fax 33 (0)3 26 54 54 55, email: Frederique_Baveret@perrier-jouet.fr. Tours are 450 euros per person. Transportation from Paris is 220 euros per car. It is also possible to arrive by train. Inquire when booking.

Fall 2002