Situated 145 kilometers (90 miles) east of Paris is Champagne, a region spanning 35,208 hectares across chalk and limestone soils. Champagne produces over 300 million bottles of sparkling wine each year and brings in 20% of France’s wine revenue, though it accounts for only 4% of all French vineyard land. From the Massif de Saint-Thierry in the north to the upstart Aube in the south, there are over 36,000 landowners within the AOC, with 56% owning less than one hectare.
By numbers, prestige, and popularity, this is one of the world’s most important winemaking regions. This guide will dive into the grapes, places, and styles that make Champagne so special.
Champagne is the most northerly major wine region in France. It is located approximately 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of the United Kingdom. This position determines Champagne’s climate, the most important factor of terroir when distinguishing Champagne from the rest of the sparkling wine world. Nowhere else can Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier grapes be grown on such a vast scale and achieve ripeness at a low ABV and a high level of acidity.
The low alcohol and high acid of Champagne’s base wines result in a lean structure ideal for bottle fermentation. Because of the fresh, crisp, undeveloped flavors of these wines, Champagne can seamlessly soak up the slowly evolving, yeast-complexed aromas of autolysis. Of all the factors contributing to Champagne’s terroir, climate and location are by far the most important. The height and slope of Champagne’s vineyards, and even its famous chalk soil, are secondary, as important as they may be in defining differences in relative quality.
Throughout history, Champagne’s boundaries have at times extended
Is it allowed to replant pinot blanc, arbane, petit meslier and pinot gris even though there is no history of these varieties in the local vineyard? How is this regulated? My French is not that good so…
Hey Christian! Producers are welcome to plant whatever they would like in their vineyards. To qualify as Champagne AOP, they must use the allowable varieties, farm to the requirements, and vinify per the stipulations of the appellation. For example: If I made Champagne in Ambonnay, with a site planted to Pinot Noir, and then transitioned the site to Pinot Blanc, that would still be Champagne AOP.
Is it allowed to replant pinot blanc, arbane, petit meslier and pinot gris even though there is no history of these varieties in the local vineyard? How is this regulated? My French is not that good so it is hard to read the original wine law.
Amazing!! Thanks Stacy!!!
The UMC website actually puts Tours-sur-Marne in the Vallée de la Marne rather than Montagne de Reims. Maybe at the time of the writing of this guide it was different, or maybe it really should be in Montagne de Reims. - https://maisons-champagne.com/en/village/tours-sur-marne
Visually it really does look like it belongs as you orbit the area, but when when you include the 1er Crus of the Vallée de la Marne and the Aÿ GC as defined by the UMC, it's really part of the Marne.
Stylistically maybe it's really part of Grande Montagne. It's probably a judgement call depending on who you're talking to especially since these regions aren't defined by the INAO and borders like these can be fluid, like NYC neighborhoods - Purple shaded is 1er Cru. Teal is GC. Montagne de Reims is outlined/labelled in Yellow and Vallée de la Marne is Red:
For reference here is a map of the 319 "production zones" aka where the grapes can be grown.
And this is the proposed 357 production zones. Orange w/white outline are the new communes and red w/red outline are the two that are being eliminated. The fill color doesn't work for all of them. Germaine (north of Épernay) and Orbais-l'Abbaye (southwest of Épernay) are the two to be eliminated and who are currently suing the INAO, hence the delay for several years.
There are 635 communes in the élaboration zone not 637. Here is a link to all 635 - https://www.commune-mairie.fr/aoc/champagne/. Their map's numbers only adds up to 634, but there are 635 distinct communes on the list. This number was also confirmed to me by Brigette Batonnet from the CIVC on 12/9/21. I didn't notice an additional 2 communes in the élaboration zone added since then so maybe that's where the 637 is coming from? As far as I can tell my map of the 635 perfectly matches the INAO's current AOP map.
https://inao.cognix.cloud/index.php/s/AfChDpBNxYPolzH?path=%2FAIRE_GEOGRAPHIQUE%2FAOC_CHAMPAGNE#pdfviewer
Thanks Caleb! The guide is updated.
I think there's a typographical error under the Pinot Blanc section: There, Le Mesnil and Chouilly built their reputations not this grape—not on Chardonnay.
Oh, I see that now! Thank you!
Hi Katherine -- The numbering is a bit off on the Club Tresors web site, and it goes up to number 28, but there are only 25 members currently listed. A few were previously listed as members but are no longer listed there.