The Good Life.(wine, chocolate and Copenhagen)

Byline: Emily Flynn Vencat (Alex McRae Kristin Luna Michael Hastings Lauren Mack)

Legend has it that at the end of the 17th century, when the French Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Perignon first sipped his newly created wine, the effervescent champagne, he called out to his brothers: "Come quickly! I'm tasting stars!" Champagne's rolling hillsides, dotted with picturesque villages still provide a heavenly experience for those keen on taking a summer driving holiday. Start in Epernay, a quaint city with 120 kilometers of champagne cellars ("caves"), holding 90 million bottles, stretching beneath its streets. The central Avenue du Champagne boasts the chateau-based headquarters of many of Champagne's most prestigious labels. Moet et Chandon (moet.com )--producers of Dom Perignon--offers an enlightening tour on champagne-making, ending with a tasting that includes up to three vintages. The imposing chateau across the street is worth noting: Jean-Remy Moet (the founding Moet's grandson) built it for his good friend Napoleon Bonaparte--the reason that only Moet et Chandon carries the label "Brut Imperial."

Down the street at Mercier's, a Disneyland-style train whisks visitors through the caves, ending, of course, with a glass of its bubbly--the most popular in France (champagnemercier.com ). For lunch, La Table Kobus specializes in classic northern French delights like pork and onion sausages (latablekobus.com ).

From Epernay, follow signs for the Route Touristique du Champagne, which takes you off the main highways to explore what experts call "the sacred triangle of Champagne," stretching between Epernay, Reims and Challons-en-Champagne. Local producers advertise private degustations, and in the autumn some vineyards invite tourists to pick grapes and have lunch (tourisme-en-champagne.com ). Don't miss the fairy-tale village of Hautevillers, where Dom Perignon's monastery church still stands.

Finish in Reims, home to a Gothic cathedral that possesses ornate Rosetta windows from the 13th century and a trio of stained glass by Marc Chagall. Across the street from Veuve Clicquot's headquarters (veuveclicquot.com ) lies an awesome 18th-century chateau with 19 luxuriously aristocratic rooms (lescrayeres. com ). The Michelin-starred restaurant downstairs offers a tasting menu that pairs each of seven champagne-inspired courses with a perfectly matched flute of vintage. Sante!

Food: Sublime Sweets

Chocolate has gone artisanal. "It's like wine," says Alan Porter of the Chocolate Society, which makes truffles from Valrhona chocolate and Yorkshire cream ([pounds sterling]6.50; chocolate.co.uk ). "People want to know which cocoa variety is being used." Belgian chocolatier Pierre Marcolini offers pralines, truffles and ganaches, including flavors like Earl Grey tea ([pounds sterling]25; pierremarcolini.co.uk ). The Paris-based ...