Vines on the hillsides tell you where you are: Charly-sur-Marne is in Champagne, even though it lies in the Aisne department, at the western end of the official vineyard area. The town sits on the north bank of the Marne, where the river winds in wide loops through a valley of meadows, poplars and villages, with vineyards and woods climbing the slopes on either side. The champagne made here is mostly from pinot meunier, the grape that thrives in the cooler, clay soils of the western Marne valley.
The valley has known terrible times. In 1914 and again in 1918, the Marne was the scene of decisive battles of the First World War. In the summer of 1918, German forces advanced to the river near Château-Thierry, and American troops, newly arrived in France, fought some of their first major battles nearby, including at Belleau Wood, where the US Marines suffered heavy losses. The American monument on Hill 204 above Château-Thierry, and the cemetery at Belleau, are moving reminders of that summer. Château-Thierry is also the birthplace of Jean de La Fontaine, the seventeenth-century writer of fables, and his house is now a museum.
The riding along the Marne is gentle and lovely. The roads follow the river through vineyards and villages, climbing in places to give views over the valley and its loops, with smooth curves and little traffic outside the main routes. Small champagne houses line the roads, many offering tastings, and the slopes above the river are crossed by lanes that wind between the vines. Spring brings fresh green leaves and blossom, while the harvest in September fills the vineyards with pickers and the air with the smell of crushed grapes.
The Champagne ride continues east toward Épernay and Reims, the heart of the region, where the great houses have their cellars cut into the chalk beneath the towns. Épernay's Avenue de Champagne is lined with grand houses, and Reims has its magnificent Gothic cathedral, where French kings were crowned for centuries.
Charly-sur-Marne has a few shops and cafés, but for a wider choice of services, including fuel, Château-Thierry is the nearest town of any size. Tasting champagne is part of the pleasure here, but France's drink-driving limits are low and strictly enforced, so buy a bottle for the evening rather than sampling too much at the cellar door.