Swathes of tourists disembarking into the humidity of the Champagne-Ardenne train station signalled what I thought was going to be a week of crowds, coach loads and steep prices. I remember, just prior to the national UK lockdown in March 2020, I embarked on a short solo trip to Champagne in the February. It was desolate; cold, rainy, uninviting. But I still had a good time. This time around, it’s the height of summer, grapes are little more than tiny berries, the canopies re