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
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: