Aube en Champagne

The Aube, named after the Aube river, is a department located the Champagne-Ardenne region of north-eastern France. It is a few hours south of Epernay, and it’s capital is Troyes.

Although less famous, the Aube vineyards of the Côte des Bar produce equally beautiful and distinctive Champagnes of their own. While still retaining the classic taste, the fantastic terroir of the Côte des Bar allow for some of the most succulent Champagnes available. The quality of the wines coming from this area is being noticed.

The Aube actually has limestone/clay soils similar to that of nearby Chablis in the Burgundy region – which is known for it’s distinctive Chadonnay Champagnes – however, the Côte des Bar vineyards mainly produce Pinot Noir grapes. This gives the Champagnes a fresh and complex flavour.

At one time, the southern region was not even allowed to produce Champagne. In 1911, the north of the Champagne region exluded the Aube from Champagne appellation because they believed they were importing grapes from outside the region. This caused the ‘Champagne riots’ to break out, causing huge crop losses.

Eventually, the French government worked with the winemakers to create the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, controlling the classification of Champagne and what qualifies it to be names as such.

Today, the houses of the Aube are becoming embraced as quality Champagne makers, gaining attention from sparkling wine lovers across the world.

The region is also a truly beautiful place to visit and winemakers are often happy to welcome guests, so give it a thought on your next wine-tasting holiday.

www.aube-champagne.com