Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars
Cultural
1465
2015
Cultural
Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural, inscribed in 2015 (WHS 1465).
Criteria & Perimeter
Inscription criteria
(iii)(iv)
Category
Cultural
Summary
The property encompasses 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 Hautvillers, 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.
Monuments in the Zone
Selection of protected monuments
- Maison dite de Tante Léonie — Illiers-Combray
- Maison de Rabelais, actuellement Musée de la Devinière — Seuilly
- Sol de maison à maison — Le Mans
- Château des Brétignolles — Anché
- Château (restes) de Château-Gontier — Château-Gontier
- Château de Touvent de Châteauroux — Châteauroux
- Eglise paroissiale Saint-Symphorien — Tours
- Ancienne église Saint-Pardoux — Soye-en-Septaine
- Maison, ou hôtel Chambetin — Bourges
- Ancienne abbaye Saint-Pierre du Landais (également sur commune de Saint-Martin-de-Lamps) — Frédille
- Immeuble de Nogent-le-Roi — Nogent-le-Roi
- Complexe chaufournier de Pincourt — Montjean-sur-Loire
- Manoir de l'Aurière de Ruillé-sur-Loir — Ruillé-sur-Loir
- Maison de Bourges — Bourges
- Oratoire des Briçonnets — Tours
Appellations of the Landscape
Most-reviewed Loire appellations
| Appellation | Avg score | Reviews | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sancerre | 89.3 | 554 | White |
| Muscadet Sèvre et Maine | 88.6 | 237 | White |
| Pouilly-Fumé | 89.6 | 153 | White |
| Vouvray | 88.4 | 153 | White |
| Touraine | 86.3 | 85 | White |
| Chinon | 88.7 | 72 | Red |
| Menetou-Salon | 87.3 | 69 | White |
| Crémant de Loire | 87.5 | 54 | Sparkling |
| Val de Loire | 85.6 | 41 | White |
| Saumur | 88.4 | 40 | White |
| Anjou | 87.6 | 36 | White |
| Rosé d'Anjou | 84 | 35 | Rosé |
Data source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (data.culture.gouv.fr). Last updated: April 14, 2026.