Transcript The Champagne Region of France

The
Champagne
Region
With some
Dom
Perignon
*Gabby*
Ms. Andrya Fitzgerald
Where in the world is the Champagne Region?
Its strategic location has made it a
battleground
whenever
France has
been invaded
from the east.
 The
Falaise de l'Ile-de-France, a
limestone ridge, borders Champagne
on the west, separating it from the
Ile-de-France, core of the Paris Basin
The departments of
Champagne are:
Marne, Haute-Marne,
Aube, and Ardennes
and parts of Yonne,
Aisne, Seine-etMarne, and Meuse
Champagne
The name derives from the Latin word,
campania, meaning "plain."
Champagne
 Is
a historic wine region located 90
miles northeast of Paris,
 It consists of 86,000 acres of land
and is best known for the production
of the sparkling white wine that
bears the region's name
There are 250 Villages
divided into 5 main
areas:
Montagne de Reims
Vallée de la Marne
Le Côte des Blancs
Aube District
Le Côte de Sézanne
Earliest Vineyards
The first vineyards were established around 50 A.D.
but were destroyed in 92 A.D. by order of Emperor
Domitian.
The vineyards were replaced in 202 A.D. by edict of
the Emperor Probus who was the son of a gardener.
 Grapes
grown on the lower
slopes of the Falaise are made
into the famous sparkling wine in
the miles of cellars carved out of
the chalk under REIMS and
Epernay
Because of the cold
winters, the grapes
are harvested
before they are
fully ripened.
Most of the Champagne vineyards are
between Reims and Epernay. Only
Champagne produced in this region has
the right to call itself "Champagne". Other
versions are often called "sparkling wines"
which contributes to why the true
Champagne is so expensive.
In the early Middle Age period, Champagne France
was a duchy under Merovingian rulers. By the 10th
century, the duchy of Champagne became a
hereditary estate known as the county of
Champagne. Then, in the 12th and 13th century,
the county became well-known for commercial fairs
where merchants from all Europe were present. At
that period, the Capital was the city of Troyes.
Finally, in 1314, Champagne became a
province of the royal domain of France
when the count of Champagne , who had inherited
the area, succeeded as Louis X, king of France. The
successive wars of the Revolution, the Empire and
the beginnings of the Republic left, until the signing
of the Reims Armistice in 1945, painful scars of
history on the soil of Champagne.
Most of the exported French champagne
comes from the area around the cities of
Reims and Epernay

The Champagne-Ardennes region is rich in
events that made history of France and
has preserved several vestiges such as the
Cathedral of Reims. For a thousand years,
the cathedral was one of the privileged
places in French history, providing the
setting for the coronation of kings. Mostly
built during the 13th century and
completed in the 15th century, this
monument is a masterpiece of Gothic
architecture, remarkable not only for its
architecture but also for its dimension.
Cathedral of
Reims
The Champagne region is also known for the raising of
sheep and the manufacture of wool being part of the
economy.
What’s good to eat?
Yummy!!!
The boudin blanc de Rethel (white pudding
 The andouillette de Troyes ( small pork
tripe sausages)
 The jambon des Ardennes ( dried ham)
 Cheese: the creamy Chaource and the
Langres (matured with marc de
Champagne alcohol)
 Biscuits Roses de Reims (cookies): great
with Champagne!

What’s good to
drink?
CHAMPAGNE!!!
Some Favorites are…
 Mumm
 Mercier
 Moet
& Chandon
 Joseph Perrier
 Perrier-Jouet
 Taittinger
 Veuve Cliquot
and more….
More, including, Dom Perignon
 Dom
Perignon, a Benedictine Monk,
produced a well known champagne
named after himself.
 References to his “blind tasting of
wine” have led to misconceptions
that Dom Perignon was blind.
“Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!”
A tagline from a 1980’s Dom Perignon Ad.
Rich heritage of Champagne is
displayed in museums such as:
 The Basilica
and….
The Museum Saint Remi in Reims.
Where’d I get this stuff from?




http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568169/Champa
gne_(region).html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne_(region)
http://www.discoverfrance.com/regions/champagne.html
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Provinces/Champagn
e.html