From Vienna to Reims Orient-Express. timeless journey

Barbe Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardin has never taken a train. Or not often, since the railroad was still in its infancy at the time (1777-1866). But the one we know primarily as Veuve Clicquot did one better. at the age of barely 27, after the death of her husband, she took the reins of the champagne house and turned it into one of the most prestigious in the world. Featuring real innovations (puzzle table, mixed rosé, first vintage champagne…), label (a comet, commemorating the one that lit up the Champagne sky in 1811 and is said to have given: the incomparable taste of that year’s vintage), and label, which is recognizable to everyone by its color. sunny, delicious yellow. From euphoria.

It is to pay homage to this unique shade that the House of Veuve Clicquot imagined a collaboration with the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train; “Solaire Journeys” (1), which follows the race from east to west. sun The program features three high-class rail cruises in Asia, Europe and Peru. If the first, from Singapore to Malaysia, took place in April, and the third, scheduled for October, will travel through the Andes to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca, then the European trip took its passengers from Vienna to Reims from July 4 to 6. . For a timeless escape, on rails and underground.

Viennese waltzes

Day 1: Evening falls on the Austrian capital, golden as you like. And 80 travelers are invited to a gala dinner at the Liechtenstein Palace, owned by the princes of the same name, preceded by a visit to his private art collection; a chance to admire an incredible 17th-century fresco in trompe-l’être. the eye, Rubens, the incredible colors of which no one or almost no one has ever seen, or the most expensive cabinet in history (a badminton cabinet decorated with lapis lazuli, which was acquired at auction for a whopping 27 million dollars). At the table, the “alpine cuisine” of Austrian chef Andreas Döllerer is accompanied exclusively by champagne, the iconic yellow label of Veuve Clicquot, but also by vintages (2002, 2008 and 2012, which received all the votes) and the candied apricot base of the dessert. , accompanied by a glass of Cave Privée 1990. All to the sound of a string quartet and performance, fiery looks and wild hair from young soprano Angela Spaich. Sparkling, all the way.

Europe by train

The next day, after an overnight stay at the Imperial Hotel, take a carriage ride through the center of Vienna. A slow-motion stroll through town at a pace so quiet that sometimes only the sound of hooves can be heard. Then go to the station, for a greeting that already plunges the traveler into another universe; to the sound of jazz standards performed by a guitarist and trombonist on the platform, we ascend to another universe around noon. the world’s most legendary trains; one who inspired novels (famous Crime on the Orient Express Texts and films by Agatha Christie, but also by Apollinaire, Graham Greene or Bram Stoker (adaptations of Christie’s novel by Sidney Lumet in 1973, then by Kenneth Brann in 2017). Reality meets imagination. along the carriages assembled in the 1970s by the luxury travel company Belmond (owned by Veuve Clicquot, LVMH) we discover luxurious suites with various decorations, restaurant cars decorated with pieces of marquetry. and the appendices are signed by Lalique, a bar car with a letterbox (what could be fancier than having your postcards signed “From the Orient-Express, somewhere between Germany and Switzerland”), and a piano. A traveling palace, where our favorite remains the smallest of the so-called “historic” cabins, unchanged or almost so (thanks to the electric sockets) since they were commissioned in the 1920s; inside, a bench with soft cushions, a small folding table and a bathroom decorated with Art Deco design – a real cocoon. Time stops here, sleeps. It is almost impossible to read a magazine or a novel because the eye is drawn like a magnet to the landscape.

Time then moves at its own pace. On the Orient Express, we dream, slumber and, above all, enjoy places and atmospheres, warm and never stuffy; An olfactory and fun discovery of the characteristic aromas of Veuve Clicquot champagnes, followed by a tasting; During this Solaire Journey, meals prepared by Jean Imbert, who has been behind VSOE’s menus for 3 years now. A challenge for the star chef and his team who have to cook in a small space with very little storage. A delight upon arrival (field pineapple tomatoes and its spices, which resemble a pointillist painting, American-style cooked lobster), the taste of which interacts with the taste of bubbles; and tonic; and rare bottles from Cave Privée in 1998 and 1985, for dinner. In the evening we dress up, eat and play extra time (more than ever on the evening of July 5, when the Blues beat Portugal in the quarter-finals during the Euros). Brushed by dancers putting on a show. Challenge. not staying up late at night, especially when your cabin has been turned into a bedroom and your bed is waiting for you. And a sleep that is rested (or jolted, for the more sensitive) by the movement of the train. Until early morning.

Under the Earth in the 7th Heaven

Sunrise is a real sight on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express as you watch the sun gradually warm the meadows and woods. An environment we depart for at the end of the morning to stop in Reims, the stronghold of the House of Veuve Clicquot. Head to the Chalk Mines, an underground labyrinth classified as a UNESCO heritage site, whose constant temperature (12°C) and humidity levels help preserve the best wines in the house. Here, the latter are still mixed by hand, 6,000 bottles per day. Like La Grande dame, the star of Veuve-Clicquot champagne, an exceptional vintage produced only in the most favorable years. It is he who we will taste on the spot, during a rare meal 20 meters underground (and a blanket on our knees). With a four-handed menu imagined by Jean Imbert and Maury Sacco. Two versions of each dish, one a 12th-century salmon Koulibiac, the other a Makibiac rolled like a California roll; or peach, with melba for the first, with azuki and verbena for the second. A menu perfectly suited to the La Grande Dame 2012, 2015 and 2008 vintages, with ‘white’ and rosé options. Forget it Best cook. no one is asking you to decide between two chefs and their crews who get rock star-worthy ovations at the end of the meal. Time passes, unfortunately. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express departs for Paris. After the last visit to a bar where a DJ has opened, we must return to dry land, the land that Barbe Clicquot Ponsardin never left. A woman whose memory now travels through time, space and our tastes.

Any use of alcohol is a health hazard.

(1) Information about Solaire Journeys. https://www.veuveclicquot.com/en-int/solairejourneysbelmond.html