Champagne

Champagne is a historic wine region in the northeast of France, best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name. The area is about 100 miles (160 km) east of Paris. The viticultural boundaries of Champagne were legally defined in 1927 and split into five wine producing districts of the Aube, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne with the towns of Reims and Épernay being the commercial centres of the area.

The different districts produce grapes of varying characteristics that are blended by the champagne houses to create their distinct house styles.

The principal grapes grown in the region include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Pinot Noir being the most widely planted in the Aube as well as the Montagne de Reims. Pinot Meunier is dominant in the Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs is almost all Chardonnay.