Épernay

Épernay is a town on the left bank of the Marne, 130 km north-east of Paris, best known as the principal entrepôt for champagne, which is bottled and kept in large cellars built into the chalk rock the town stands on. Its most famous street, the Avenue de Champagne, is lined with the leading Champagne houses, and the villas of rich wine merchants fill La Folie to the east. Champagne is made almost entirely from Pinot noir, Pinot meunier and Chardonnay, with its second fermentation in the bottle. Making the equipment and materials for the champagne industry is a major local employer. Book a cellar visit ahead.