Cormicy

Cormicy is not a name you will find on champagne labels. If you want to get to know Champagne away from the famous crus, this is a place where vineyards, forest, wetlands and history sit close together.

Location

Cormicy lies on the northern edge of the Marne département, right on the border with the Aisne département. Reims is about 15 to 17 kilometres away, Laon around 30 kilometres. The village sits halfway up the Massif de Saint-Thierry, which slopes down towards the Aisne valley here. It is overlooked by the Petite Montagne (184 metres) and the Grande Montagne (197 metres). Since 1 January 2017, Cormicy has been a commune nouvelle, merged with Gernicourt, which used to be in the Aisne département. The administrative seat is Cormicy. The commune most recently had 1,500 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023).

Viticulture and economy

Cormicy lies within the growing zones of the Champagne appellation and the Coteaux champenois. The village has no cru status. Since the middle of the 20th century, the vine has won back part of the south-facing slopes. Alongside it, forest and farming shape the area. Timber, clay and sand were traditionally extracted here, and a sawmill still operates today. Market gardening is part of the tradition too. Many people who work, however, commute to jobs in other places.

“Since 1 January 2017, Cormicy has been a commune nouvelle, merged with Gernicourt, which used to be in the Aisne département.

Nature and water

The natural landscape around the village is special:

• The Grand Marais in the Saint-Thierry forest massif covers 18 hectares and is part of a Natura 2000 site. It is home to rare plants such as fen orchid.
• Two ZNIEFF zones lie within the commune, including the Cormicy forest massif. In January 2021, a regional nature reserve was also designated for the marais and sand pits of the massif.
• The Loivre and the Canal de l'Aisne à la Marne run through the commune. In the village centre there are two small ponds, known as the Gués.

Cormicy is also part of the application to have the Champagne landscapes recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Ferdinand Bonnet Champagner

History and walks

The First World War left deep scars on the area. Hill 108 near Berry-au-Bac was the scene of heavy fighting. The hamlets of Sapigneul and La Neuville were destroyed and never rebuilt. If this interests you, you can explore the terrain on foot: the long-distance footpath GR 145, a section of the Via Francigena, runs through the commune.

In 2023, Cormicy received the "One Flower" award in the flower-decorated villages competition. It has been twinned with Kingsclere in Hampshire since 1972.

Getting there

The departmental roads D 944, D 530 and D 32 link the village with its neighbours. The A26 motorway crosses the commune in the east but has no exit there. A bus line runs to Reims. For a visit, a detour from Reims makes sense, for example as an addition to a day at the city's great houses.