Among the Distinguished Sites, Clos Des Lambrays in Burgundy and Seven Belonging to Champagne Maisons Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Mercier, Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart
UNESCO has inscribed the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
At the heart of the project, several Moët Hennessy properties have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List including the Moët & Chandon cellars located on the Avenue de Champagne, and the Moët & Chandon reception site and gardens of the Orangerie on the Avenue de Champagne.
The brand’s other properties include Abbey Saint Pierre d’Hautvillers, home of Dom Perignon, located on the historic hills; the Mercier cellars on the Avenue de Champagne; and the Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart cellars beneath the Saint-Nicaise hill in Reims.
Intimately linked to the Champagne area, Moët Hennessy’s Maisons have actively supported the Landscape Association of Champagne, and the UNESCO candidacy from the very beginning.
“Combining tradition and innovation, Moët Hennessy Maisons have developed their wines, human, architectural and industrial heritage over hundreds of years. They provide a unique testimony to the living tradition of Champagne and an outstanding universal dimension,” said Christophe Navarre, Chairman and CEO of Moët Hennessy.
UNESCO describes the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars as encompassing the sites where the method of producing sparkling wines was developed on the principle of secondary fermentation in the bottle since the early 17th century to its early industrialization in the 19th century. “The property is made up of three distinct ensembles: the historic vineyards of Hautvilliers, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Saint-Nicaise Hill in Reims, and the Avenue de Champagne and Fort Chabrol in Epernay. These three components – the supply basin formed by the historic hillsides, the production sites (with their underground cellars) and the sales and distribution centres (the Champagne Houses) – illustrate the entire champagne production process. The property bears clear testimony to the development of a very specialized artisan activity that has become an agro-industrial enterprise.”
What a marvellous achievement. We will certainly drink to that.
For more information on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, click here.
