For 300 years the Champagne Houses have been adding to this exceptional heritage through the commissioning of architectural masterpieces that sing the praises of the King of Wines.
Epernay is the capital of Champagne, a town at the heart of the Champagne industry that regularly plays host to senior representatives from the four main Champagne growing areas. This is where Winegrowers and Champagne Houses join together to celebrate the feast of St Vincent and pay tribute to Dom Perignon, lifting their voice in praise of the wine of kings and the king of wines.
Château de Pierry was built c. 1734 as a Gentilhommière (country retreat) for the count-bishop of Châlons-en-Champagne and peer of the realm, Monseigneur de Choiseul-Beaupré, whose personal history was intimately linked to the birth of Champagne wine itself.
Château de la Marquetterie is a gem of Louis Quinze style, preserved for posterity by Champagne House Taittinger.
The chateau clings to a Champagne hillside covered with vines, overlooking the western part of the village of Pierry south of Epernay.
The Château de Mareuil dates back to 18th Century French nobleman Thomas de Domangeville who had it built as a home befitting his young bride. In the mid 19th Century the chateau passed into the hands of Edmond de Ayala, founder of the House of Ayala that retained ownership until the 1930s.
Napoleon 1 and the Empress Josephine were among the many distinguished guests who once visited the Hôtel Moët & Chandon, which now forms part of the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Château de Saran is a privately owned stately home in the village of Chouilly. It was built in 1801 for Jean-Remy Moët, grandson of the founder of the chateau’s present owners, Champagne House Moët & Chandon, which entertains its most distinguished guests here.
Walls can sometimes conceal strange secrets ... No-one would ever guess, for example, that behind the walls of this property in Cumières, owned by Champagne House Joseph Perrier, there is an exact replica of the botanical garden of the French National Assembly.
For more than 200 years the Résidence de Trianon has embodied luxury in the French style. The property with its orangery is one of two identical elements built for Jean-Rémy Moët in the period 1805-1817, making up an architectural complex that is said to have been designed by French decorator and miniature painter, Jean-Baptiste Isabey. Since 1967, following long occupation as a private residence, the Trianon has been reserved for the exclusive enjoyment of distinguished visitors to Moët & Chandon.
This 13th Century château underwent substantial renovation following its acquisition by Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, French Secretary of State for War and close friend of the young Louis XIV, future Sun King.
In 1843, Madame Clicquot commissioned the architect Jean-Jacques Arveuf-Fransquin to build her a chateau on the left bank of the Marne River, downstream from Epernay. The result was the Château de Boursault.
In 1811 cork-manufacturer Pierre-Nicolas Perrier married Adèle Jouët and founded what was to become the celebrated House of Perrier-Jouët. In 1854 they commissioned the building of this Louis Treize style chateau.
The building of this stately home in Epernay was commissioned c.1858 under the direction of architect Victor Lenoir, who also designed the Gare Montparnasse in Paris. In 1920 it became the Town Hall of Epernay.
The Auban family is well known for its many donations in support of culture and the building of churches and private schools. But our principal focus here falls on their activities in the field of social welfare, and the building of the Hôpital Auban-Moët in particular. Victor Auban became an associate of Champagne House Moët & Chandon when he married his cousin Rachel Moët de Romont.
On 7 May 1889 the Foudre Mercier made its eagerly-awaited entrance at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Drawn by a team of 24 oxen all the way from Epernay, Mercier’s giant Champagne barrel was greeted as a worthy rival to the Eiffel Tower and received a rousing reception from the audience.
In 2021 Champagne Pommery’s historic press house was repurposed as the Centre d’Interprétation Sensorielle Dédié aux Vins de Champagne (dedicated centre for the sensory appreciation of Champagne wines). Otherwise everything about the building itself remains unmistakably Pommery, starting with its neo-Elizabethan architecture inspired by the Pommery Head Office in Reims.
The de Castellane Champagne House was established in 1895 by Viscount Florens, headquartered in premises that were designed and constructed by the then famous architect Marius Toudoire.
In 1900 Fort Chabrol became the site of the first "Practical School of Viticulture": a research and training centre founded by Champagne House Moët & Chandon that would play a trailblazing role in the fight against phylloxera.
The Hôtel de Venoge was built in 1899, originally as the family home of Louis-Henri-Marcel Gallice (1854-1930), then president of premier Champagne House Perrier-Jouët. Since 2014 the house has been the Head Office of Champagne House de Venoge.
The Avenue de Champagne (formerly the Avenue de Commerce) extends for nearly one kilometre, lined on both sides by magnificent private dwellings lovingly constructed over many centuries by the Champagne Houses. Some were originally built as a Head Office, others as the private home of the proprietor. All of them reflect an architectural style that celebrates the brand in particular and Champagne in general.
This gem of Art Nouveau architecture in Epernay is the property of Champagne House Perrier-Jouët and also the place where the brand entertains its most distinguished guests.
C’est en 1793, alors qu’il vient de reprendre la conduite des affaires à la suite du décès de son père, que Jean-Rémy Moët fait construire l’hôtel Moët.
This classic French formal garden forms a stunning backdrop to the magnificent property owned by Champagne House Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Ay.
The Abbaye d’Hautvillers was founded by Saint Nivard, Archbishop of Rheims (nephew of King Dagobert of France), said to have appeared to the good clergyman in a dream. It was also famously the domain of Dom Pérignon (1639 - 1715), cellar master of the Abbey from 1668 to his death.
Champagne Henri Giraud has chosen to breathe new life into this listed 19th century residence. The spaces have been redefined to accommodate guests during a visit to Aÿ.
