Épernay

What it is

Épernay is the southern commercial capital of Champagne, sitting on the Marne. About 22,000 inhabitants. It functions as a hinge between three subregions: Vallée de la Marne to the west, Côte des Blancs to the south, and Montagne de Reims to the north. Officially there are few vineyards in the commune itself, but several iconic houses are headquartered here.

Avenue de Champagne

The Avenue de Champagne is a one-kilometre street of wine palaces, cellars and townhouses. The lead-up to UNESCO recognition in 2015. The key names:

• Moët & Chandon (founded 1743): largest house in the world, owner of Dom Pérignon. The building at 20 Avenue de Champagne is monumental.
• Pol Roger (1849): small, independent, famous for Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill (since 1975). Still owned by the Pol Roger family.
• Perrier-Jouët (1811): smaller maison with the Belle Époque bottle (anemone decoration, since 1902).
• Mercier (1858): known for giant casks (216,000 bottle equivalent), underground cellar train for tourists.
• De Castellane (1895): art-nouveau tower, a landmark on the skyline. Today part of the Laurent-Perrier group.

A network of 110 kilometres of cellars runs beneath the avenue, much of it in former chalk quarries. Estimated 200 million bottles in storage.

Wine geography

From Épernay you can drive to most Côte des Blancs Grand Cru villages (Cramant, Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger) in twenty minutes. The Vallée de la Marne runs directly west along the river, with Hautvillers (where Dom Pérignon worked) on the slopes above, 5 km away. The Montagne de Reims sits 30 km to the north.

Visit and history

Like Reims, hit hard in the First World War: the town was occupied for 300 days and heavily bombed. The cellars served as shelter for residents. Today highly touristic; many large houses offer structured tours with tastings (Moët, Mercier, De Castellane year-round; Pol Roger and Perrier-Jouët by appointment).

Hautvillers (5 km north) holds the tomb of Dom Pérignon in the abbey church. The Avenue de Champagne is well-suited to a cycling or walking tour — info via the tourist office (Quai de Marne).

Hotels and restaurants

• Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa: 5-star resort on the slopes above Hautvillers, owned by the Pol Roger family
• Les Crayères (Reims, 30 min): 3-star Michelin under Philippe Mille
• Hostellerie La Briqueterie (Vinay, 5 km): classic, Champagne-driven kitchen

For lexicon purposes

Reims is larger and more commercial; Épernay is more intimate and geographically more embedded in the vineyards. Which of the two is the “real” capital of Champagne depends on whom you ask. Both sit on the 2015 UNESCO list under “Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars”.

For the visitor

Train from Paris Gare de l’Est: ~1h15. Direct service. For wine tourism, Épernay is more strategic than Reims because of the proximity of Côte des Blancs and Vallée de la Marne vineyards.