Founded in 1757, the Henri Abelé Champagne House (founded in Epernay by Théodore Van der Veken) is one of the oldest in the history of Champagne.
Henri Marie Joseph Louis Abelé (1852-1923) took the reins in 1876, and in 1880 moved the House to a new location on the Rue de la Justice in Rheims. In 1882, he played a part in the founding of what would become the Syndicat de Grandes Marques, then the Union des Maisons de Champagne.
When the Rue de la Justice premises were destroyed in the First World War (like Abelé’s home, next to the cathedral) Abelé Champagne moved to 50 Rue de Sillery in charming buildings characteristic of the period.
The building is now preserved for posterity by the Maison Abelé. "Sourire de Reims" is the name of Abele Champagne’s prestige cuvee, connoting the cathedral’s famous angel and its history.
