Hautvillers is the village that Champagne drinkers should visit once. On the hillside north of the Marne, above the little towns of Dizy and Cumières, it keeps its abbey church, where Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who looked after the abbey's cellars and vineyards in the late seventeenth century, is buried. The legend that he invented champagne is only a legend, as he spent much of his energy trying to stop the wine from fizzing, but he did a great deal for blending and viticulture, and the name now belongs to a famous bottle.
The slopes of Champagne are the part of the world that this stop is really about. They are now a World Heritage landscape, with villages, wineries and cellars all part of the listing, and the view from the vineyards above Hautvillers is one of the best in the region, with the Marne curling below and Épernay laid out on the far bank. The village itself has wrought-iron signs hanging above its shopfronts, each one showing a grower's craft, and the streets are quiet and neat.
Épernay, four kilometres away with more than 27,000 people, is the place for petrol and supplies. Hautvillers has a few cafés, but little else, and in high season its narrow lanes can be crammed with coaches. Try to arrive in the morning, park outside the centre, and walk. The roads that climb to the village are steep and tight, with hairpins through the vines, and they are some of the most enjoyable riding in the Marne, as long as you take them gently and expect the odd tractor.
The best time is early autumn, when the grapes are ripe and the vines turn yellow and red, but spring has its charms too, with white blossom and fresh grass. In winter, the hillside is bare and the village feels deserted. Wherever you come from, a quiet hour here, with the vines below and a coffee in hand, makes a good break from the saddle.