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Approximate number of acres that make up the Champagne region, equal to about 34,300 hectares, representing 0.5% of world vineyard acreage. There are 282,000 vineyard plots and 319 villages within the Champagne region, which is divided into four main growing areas: Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Bar (Aube).

Taittinger and Pommery were the first Champagne houses to plant vineyards and make sparkling wine from grapes grown where?

A. England

B. Tasmania, Australia

C. The original Montagne de Reims area within today’s Champagne region

D. South Africa

Over the last several years, both iconic Champagne producers have invested in southern England’s uncanny combination of chalky soils, climate, and topography—so similar to Champagne’s own terroir.

In 2017, Taittinger planted 50 acres (20 hectares) of traditional Champagne grape varieties near Kent in southeastern England. It was the first time a top Champagne house had planted a vineyard in the U.K. This summer, plans to build a 33K+ case winery adjacent to the venture’s current 550-acre vineyard were approved. The English sparkling wine will be called Domaine Evremond, named after Charles de Saint-Évremond, the French writer credited with introducing 17th-century London society to Champagne. The first vintage is expected in 2024.

Not long after Taittinger’s investment, Pommery purchased and planted 100 acres (40 hectares) of vineyard near Southampton, west of Kent along the southern coast. The following year, Pommery became the first Champagne house to launch an English sparkling wine with the 2018 release of its Louis Pommery England Brut, with grapes purchased from vineyards in Hampshire, Essex, and Sussex. The wine is named for Pommery’s founder.

“The first obligation of any wine is to be delicious.”

—Eileen Crane
Founding Winemaker/CEO of Domaine Carneros, Napa Valley, California

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