Reims

Geography

Reims sits in northeastern France, in the Marne department of the Grand Est region, about 130 km east of Paris. The city is the urban anchor of the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims, the long forested ridge whose southern and eastern faces carry some of champagne's most prized grand cru parcels.

History and houses

Reims became a champagne capital in the 18th and 19th centuries, as long-lived family houses built their cellars directly into the chalk beneath the city. Many of the so-called crayères — Gallo-Roman chalk pits later extended into kilometres of galleries — still age champagne today. Houses headquartered in Reims include Krug, Louis Roederer, Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Taittinger, Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck.

Why it matters

A significant share of global champagne production is vinified, aged and shipped from Reims. The city also hosts the Comité Champagne, the region's joint trade association, and the UNESCO-listed "hillsides, houses and cellars of Champagne" inscription covers several sites within and around Reims.

Notable villages nearby

The grand cru villages of the Montagne de Reims — Verzenay, Verzy, Mailly-Champagne, Bouzy and Ambonnay — lie within a short drive south of the city. Hautvillers, where Dom Pérignon served as cellarer in the late 17th century, sits just across the massif toward Épernay.