La CRAPOUNETTE

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

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.

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.