Champagne (province)

The wine region within the historical province of Champagne in the northeast of France is best known for the production of champagne, the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name. EU law and the laws of most countries reserve the term "champagne" exclusively for wines that come from this region located about 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of Paris. The viticultural boundaries of Champagne are legally defined and split into five wine-producing districts within the historical province: Aube, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, Montagne de Reims, and Vallée de la Marne. The city of Reims and the town of Épernay are the commercial centers of the area. Reims is famous for its cathedral, the venue of the coronation of the French kings and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located at the northern edges of France, the history of the Champagne wine region has had a significant role in the development of this unique terroir. The area's proximity to Paris promoted the region's economic success in its wine trade but also put the villages and vineyards in the path of marching armies on their way to the French capital. Despite the frequency of these military conflicts, the region developed a reputation for quality wine production in the early Middle Ages and was able to continue that reputation as the region's producers began making sparkling wine with the advent of the great champagne houses in the 17th and 18th centuries. The principal grapes grown in the region include Chardonnay, Pinot noir, and Pinot Meunier. Pinot noir is the most widely planted grape in the Aube region and grows very well in Montagne de Reims. Pinot Meunier is the dominant grape in the Vallée de la Marne region. The Côte des Blancs is dedicated almost exclusively to Chardonnay. The unique, chalky landscape of the Champagne wine region and the resulting agro-industrial system led to the development of sparkling wines like champagne in the 17th century. As a result, many of the production sites and wine houses in the region were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 as part the Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars site.

Cramant (French pronunciation: [kʁamɑ̃]) is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.

Jacques Selosse is a Champagne producer and grower based in the Avize region of Champagne. The house has been rated as one of Champagne’s top five producers by Andrew Jefford in The New France.

Avize (French pronunciation: [aviz]) is a commune in the Marne department in northeastern France.

Chouilly (French pronunciation: [ʃuji]) is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.

Cuis is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.

The Centre Vinicole – Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte (CV-CNF) is the oldest union of producers of champagne. It comprises 82 winemaking cooperatives representing more than 5000 vineyards, situated on a hill in the commune of Chouilly, on the road leading to Pierry, and overlooks the community of Épernay.

Grauves (French pronunciation: [ɡʁov]) is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.

Mercier is a Champagne producer based in the Épernay region of Champagne. The house, founded in 1858 by Eugène Mercier (who died in 1904), produces both vintage and non-vintage cuvée, which is stored in 18 km (11 mi) long cellar tunnels located 30 m (98 ft) underground. Parts of the cellar are open to the public, where visitors can use rail carts to navigate the tunnels. Today, the house owns 576 ha (1,423 acres) of vineyards. Mercier owned the original rights to the name Dom Pérignon but gave the brand to Moët et Chandon in 1927. Today the house is under the umbrella of the LVMH group and is the number one selling brand of Champagne in the domestic French market.

L'Avenue de Champagne (The Champagne Avenue) is a famous street located in Épernay, the 'Capital of champagne', in the Grand Est Région of France. Its name derives from the presence of many leading champagne producers such as Moët et Chandon, Mercier and De Castellane. Located on a major historical trade route between France and Germany, the avenue attracted champagne merchants as early as the 18th century. Residents say that this avenue is the most expensive in the world, more so than the Champs-Élysées in Paris, because of the millions of bottles of champagne stored in the kilometres of chalk cellars beneath it. The cellars and the above-ground part of the avenue were both inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 (as part of the Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars site) for its testimony to the history of champagne, its development and sale, and the advent of a unique and preeminent agro-industrial system. The avenue also house a research center and Fort Chabrol that was founded to study and mitigate the effects of Grape phylloxera on the quality and production of champagne. It has become a tourist attraction for Épernay and the Région; the biggest champagne producers organise visits to show how the drink is produced and stored.

Gosset, founded in 1584, is the oldest wine house in Champagne. In 1584, Pierre Gosset, alderman of Aÿ and wine-grower, made still, mostly red, wines from the grapes he harvested from his own vines. In those days, two wines vied for pride of place at the table to the Kings of France: the wine of Aÿ and, from some hundreds of leagues further South, the wine of Beaune. Then, in the 18th century the wine made in around Aÿ began to bubble and the Gosset family turned naturally to the production of champagne.

De Castellane is a Champagne producer based in the Épernay region of Champagne. The house, founded in 1895, produces both vintage and non-vintage cuvee as well as a blanc de blancs Chardonnay Champagne. The house is currently under the ownership of Laurent-Perrier.