Whenever you visit Champagne you'll quickly be struck by the fact that there are hundreds of villages where champagne is produced, 323 of them in fact, at least according to the number I've been told.

With all these to choose from how do you decide where to go? Well, there's one that you really shouldn't miss out and that's Hautvillers; not only is it a pretty village with a fabulous view, it also has a particular place in the history of champagne because the abbey of Hautvillers is where Dom Pérignon lived and worked.

If you're a champagne fan you will have heard of Dom Pérignon. Lots has been written about him and his exploits but for a change let's just focus on the village and the abbey.

The story of the abbey of Hautvillers goes back over 1300 years to its establishment in about the year 650 A.D. by Bishop Nivard of Reims, grandson of King Clotaire II and nephew of another king called Dagobert - don't tear your hair out trying to memorize these characters because they're hardly household names these days.

Now we'll roll forward about a thousand years during which the fortunes of the abbey ebbed and flowed many times.

On at least four occasions the abbey was sacked and burned by hostile armies only to be rebuilt and restored, on one occasion thanks to the financial help of no less than Catherine de Medici the matriarch of probably the most powerful family in the world at that time.

In 1668 a young Benedictine monk named Pierre Pérignon was put in charge of the administration of the abbey.

Born into a staunchly middle class family, this youthful 29 year-old was to guide the worldly fortunes of the abbey for the next 47 years until his death in 1715.

During the time of Dom Pérignon the abbey and particularly the traditions of vine-growing and wine-making which were a essential part of life at the abbey as well as in the entire region, developed and flourished beyond all recognition.

Then in 1791 in the ferment of the French Revolution, the abbey was dissolved and its goods and other riches scattered far and wide.

It was not until 1823 that the fortunes of the abbey looked up again when Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Brialles, son-in-law of Jean-Remy Moët, resolved to restore the famous abbey once again.

Thanks to Pierre-Gabriel and his descendants the abbey returned to its former glory and was turned into a text-book model of good agricutural practice.

History intervened yet again in the 20th century when, exactly the same as before, invading armies rampaged across the plains of Champagne and the region was devastated by battles.

The abbey was severly damaged during the Second World War and in 1941 the abbey and the estate were sold to Moët & Chandon and they remain in Moët's possession to this day.

If you just roll up at the village you'll find that the abbey is closed to the public - it's used by Moët & Chandon for VIP visits, but you can stop in at the church next door and see the plaque in the floor that marks Dom Pérignon's resting place.

Hautvillers has got to be one of the prettiest villages in Champagne. It's situated on a hillside overlooking Epernay and the Marne River below and it's a magnificent panorama.

Added to this the local champagne makers have gone to great lengths to decorate their homes with wrought iron signs above the doors. There are a few ( not many ) shops and a café and a restaurant. Last time I was in Hautvillers the café was closed and the restaurant left a little to be desired, but maybe this is splitting hairs.

The point is that Hautvillers should definitely be on your list of places in to visit Champagne.