Montagne de Reims
Where Champagne comes from
The so-called Mountains of Reims is not a mountain at all but 30km/18.5m long, 6-10km/3.5-6.25m wide, limestone bluff running east to west between Reims and Epernay. It is split into 4 upland areas with 94 villages involved in total, spread about the Grand Montagne and the Petit Montagne, the Massif de St Thierry, the Monts de Berru and terrain around the City including the charming settlements of Verzeney, Mailly and Verzy.
The vineyards tend to be planted on the western, the southern or the south eastern slopes of the Montagne to get maximum exposure to sunlight using Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes which produce robust wines with crisp palettes.
Winemaking in the area goes back a long way but the production of champagne did not appear till the late 17th century following its invention by the monk Dom Perignon at the Abbey of St-Pierre at Hautvillers near Epernay. The monk found a way to introduce bubbles into fermented wine and balance its acidity and clarity.
Nowadays something like 300 million bottles of ‘bubbly’ or ‘fizz’ is produced on the Montagne every year - quite something for
a drink discovered almost by accident!
Don’t forget that about a quarter of the Champagne produced in France comes from the Aube Département south east of the city Troyes which the south of the Montagne de Reims.