- Département
- Aisne (Hauts-de-France)
- Site
- Vallée de la Marne, right bank of the Marne, western end of Champagne
- Inhabitants
- 369 (as of 1 January 2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
Azy-sur-Marne is a winegrowing village in the Aisne département on the right bank of the Marne. The vines, mostly Pinot Meunier, grow at the western end of Champagne in the Vallée de la Marne.
Azy-sur-Marne is a small village in the south of the Aisne département, in the Hauts-de-France region. With 369 inhabitants (2023), it is one of the quiet places in the Marne valley. If you are looking for champagne that comes not from the famous grand cru villages but from the everyday life of the growers, this is the right address.
Location
The village lies on the right, northern bank of the Marne, roughly halfway between Paris and Reims. It belongs to the historic landscape of the Omois. Château-Thierry is about 9 kilometres away, and the neighbouring village of Bonneil is only 1.3 kilometres to the west. Other neighbouring communes include Essômes-sur-Marne, Chézy-sur-Marne and Romeny-sur-Marne. Administratively, Azy belongs to the arrondissement of Château-Thierry.
The climate is oceanic. At the nearest weather station in Blesmes, the mean annual temperature (1991 to 2020) is 10.6 °C, and annual rainfall is around 713 millimetres.
Viticulture
Azy lies within the Champagne appellation but is not a grand cru or premier cru village. The vines stand on the slopes above the Marne and belong to the Vallée de la Marne, on the western edge of the growing area. Pinot Meunier dominates, a grape variety that is especially widespread in the Marne valley. It gives fruity, early-drinking wines and lends many cuvées their roundness.
With 369 inhabitants (2023), it is one of the quiet places in the Marne valley.
Winegrowing visibly shapes the village: according to 2018 land-use data, 35.8 per cent of the commune's area is given over to permanent crops, essentially vines. Arable land makes up 35.5 per cent and woodland 14.5 per cent. There are 37 growers based in the village, plus three farms that mainly grow cereals.
History
The name of the village has changed several times. From 1801 to 1898 the commune was called Azy-Bonneuil, then simply Azy. It has carried the suffix "sur-Marne" since 1939.
The village has lived through hard times more than once. Towards the end of the 16th century, plague, famine and disease raged, and the population fell by about 40 per cent. On 4 September 1583, some 800 people from Azy and the surrounding area walked to Meaux in a penitential procession. In the First World War the village was badly damaged in the battles of the Marne and was awarded the Croix de guerre 1914 to 1918 on 23 January 1924. The lowest population was recorded in 1921, with 160 inhabitants.
What to see and how to get there
- The church of Saint-Félix, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries and listed as a monument historique
- Vineyard slopes above the Marne with views over the valley
- Village fêtes and brocantes (flea markets), traditionally held at the salle des fêtes
The D 969 runs through the village from Château-Thierry to Charly-sur-Marne. About ten kilometres to the north there is a junction with the A 4 motorway between Paris and Strasbourg. Chézy-sur-Marne station, on the opposite bank of the river, is on a Paris suburban line (Transilien), which also makes Azy reachable as a day trip from the capital.
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