Eclosion de lumière

Between Reims and Épernay, this luxury hotel, set in a sort of modern-day amphitheatre built out of light-coloured stone, hugs the hillsides of Champagne. The interior celebrates the wine and the gilded ceiling sports a huge chandelier with 36 blown-glass orbs (bubbles). There is also a nod to Napoleon Bonaparte, said to have stopped off here when it was a coaching inn. The perfect foil to high-flying haute cuisine in tune with the seasons and founded on traditions that traverse the annals of French cookery, further enhanced by a crack front-of-house team. The wine cellar is, of course, well s

At the foot of the Montagne de Reims and on the road to Épernay, this imposing inn unabashedly brandishes its opulent style. Come evening, the elegant dining space done out in pale wood takes on a romantic air – the perfect setting for fine classic French cuisine delivered by chefs Dominique Giraudeau (who shone for many years in the kitchens of Gérard Boyer at Les Crayères) and his associate, Pascal Champion. On the menu, top-notch produce, from John Dory to free-range milk-fed veal, as well as game, lobster and truffles.

"The only neighbours of this old stone - built watermill (19C) are the greenery and the Surmelin, an affluent of the Marne. The interior decor is on the modern, pared - down side, with a light wood ceiling and designer chairs; the traditional cuisine smacks of all things bucolic. And in the guestrooms, you could hear a pin drop. "

You would be well advised to stop off at the Selosse family estate. Both having worked for Anne - Sophie Pic, Stéphane Rossillon (in the kitchen) and his wife (front of house) create a single set menu based on choice ingredients. Served in a charming guesthouse atmosphere; when the sun is out you can enjoy the large terrace. Superb wine list.

The restaurant specialises in cooking top-drawer produce over a wood fire: whole sea bass with fennel, rib of beef, pluma de pata negra, venison with a peppery sauce poivrade – all dishes are the handiwork of a cheerful chef of Lyon origins. The atmosphere is friendly and buzzy and, come summertime, the garden is bliss.

This elegant and cosy restaurant giving onto the main road was once a roadside inn and combines old features (beamed ceilings, exposed stone walls, terracotta floor tiles etc) with tasteful contemporary touches. Chef Romain Leydier cooks up a tempting menu that showcases fine ingredients in generous, carefully prepared dishes: crab with Meaux mustard mayonnaise and Brie caviar; Corrèze veal sweetbreads grenobloise style; praline millefeuille with Madagascar vanilla. The tree-lined terrace is popular in fine weather.

The village of Chigny-les-Roses in the heart of the Montagne de Reims is the site of this restaurant in a former classroom, which is, indeed, entirely hemmed in by vineyards. Chef Benjamin Gilles can be seen in the kitchen through a window in the dining room. Now his own boss, he signs modern dishes overflowing in fresh flavours and enhanced by a zest of creativity. Vegetables and fruit feature prominently in his culinary score through a variety of preparations (raw, cooked, pickled).