Eyes in the sky and feet on the ground: the maps of Champagne It is true, my dear readers, that there is more between heaven and earth than our vain philosophy dreams of. While Shakespeare is right, and even in the world of wine there are more things than rain and soil, the importance of land and microclimates in the influence of a wine cannot be underestimated. “Terroir – geographic space in which vines are grown, considering as homogeneous in terms of natural resources that influence viticulture, mainly climate, soil and topography. The terroir is also often considered in its history and traditions” – Dictionary of Wine The importance of terroir is something quite peaceful in the world of wine. Connoisseurs know that there are differences between the left and right bank of Bordeaux. Many know that there are still differences between the wines of certain localities on the left or right bank of the River Gironde. It is not uncommon for someone to say that they prefer Pomerol or Margaux to Saint Émilion or Saint Julien. If in Bordeaux there is already recognition of the importance of terroir, this importance takes on another dimension in Burgundy. The wine region renowned for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay has more than 1000 different climates, each with its name, history, taste and place in the hierarchy of the region's crus. The terroir is so important to the region that it was declared a UNESCO heritage site in 2015. “In Burgundy, when we speak of a climat, we do not raise our eyes to the sky, we lower ourselves to the earth” - Bernard Pivot In Champagne we live in a kind of parallel universe in relation to the relevance of terroir. With each step in which the art of assemblage developed and was almost brought to perfection in the region, the idea of terroir developed by the two other French regions increasingly moved away. Champagne became more notable for the way its wines were made than for the distinction of its territory, always seen as a large region where grapes were produced in large quantities for the best and most consistent sparkling wine on the planet. However, as much as the highlight of the region, even in courses aimed at certification in wines, is more related to the way of making the wine, the famous traditional method (which has as a synonym a clear reference to the region, “champenoise method”) does not means that it is an equal and continuous area of 34,300 hectares. Nothing could be more wrong.
The idea of Champagne terroir is not exactly new. In the 19th century there are documents that point out the distinctions between river wines (vins de la riviére) and mountain wines (vins de la montagne), referring to what we now know as Valée de la Marne and Montagne de Reims. But it was only in the 19th century that the first attempt to classify Champagne vineyards took shape, due to the work carried out by André Julien, “topografie de tous les vignobles connus”, in free translation “Topography of all known vineyards”. The book divides the wines into four classes of French wines, among which (red) wines from Verzy, Verzennay, Mailly, Saint-Basle, Bouzy and Clos de Saint Thierry reached the top, pairing with Burgundy wines. In 1911 the idea would be developed and the first scale of crus in Champagne would be created. The scale served as a guideline for pricing the grapes, in the reality in which small producers sold their grapes to large houses. This reality still dominates today. This was the beginning of the division (in various ways) of the region into sub-regions. Initially there were three sub-regions: Montagne de Reims, Valée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs. Aube was excluded by French legislation in 1908 and returned in 1911 as a second-class region - deuxieme zone, a condition it would maintain until 1927, when it was finally recognized as part of Champagne.
The map was modified to accommodate this change and even today most books divide the region into 4, adding to the three already mentioned the region known as Aube or Côte des Bar.
The Champagne Committee even divides the appeal zone into 20 distinct sub-regions. The Wine Scholar Guild adopts the classification in the 4 classic sub-regions and subdividing them into 17 terroirs. One of the greatest experts in Champagne, Peter Liem adopts a different division, in 7 sub-regions.
It is also important to mention Larmat's maps, published in 1944. The maps further detail the design of Champagne, showing, in rich detail, vineyards and plots (lieux-dits) that today are synonymous with excellence. Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. – Theodore Roosevelt It doesn't matter which classification the reader prefers. The most traditional in 4 sub-regions, Liem with 7, WSG with 4 sub-regions and 17 micro terroirs. The main thing is to understand that Champagne is not a single, homogeneous territory. As in any other major wine region, terroir influences wine. Is very. And that's what we're going to keep bringing here, with our eyes on the sky and our feet on the ground. Sources:
LIEM, Peter. Champagne. The essential guide to the wines, producers and terroirs of the iconic region. New York: Tem Speed Press. 2017.
TAGLIARI, Maurício; CAMPOS, Rogério de. Dicionário do vinho. São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 2011.
https://www.beaune-borgonha.com/descobrir/os-vinhos-da-borgonha/os-vinhedos-da-borgonha/os-climats-inscritos-na-unesco
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