Cuchery

Cuchery is a small village in the west of the Marne département that is not among the classified grand cru or premier cru sites. If you would like to get to know Champagne away from the famous names, this is a quiet corner where farming and viticulture shape everyday life.

Location

The commune lies about 30 kilometres south-west of Reims and belongs to the Montagne de Reims Regional Nature Park. At 703 hectares, its territory is modest in size. The land rises from 109 to 249 metres. The village itself sits in a valley formed by the stream Ruisseau de Belval, which runs through the commune from east to west and joins the Marne near Châtillon-sur-Marne. To the north and south of the valley, the hills climb above 200 metres.

By road it is around 17 kilometres to Épernay and 18 kilometres to Dormans. Cuchery belongs to the canton of Dormans-Paysages de Champagne and to the arrondissement of Épernay. The commune includes several hamlets: Orcourt to the south-east, La Fréverge and Ménicourt immediately south of the village, and the Ferme de la Clicotte to the west.

“The Germanist, Romanist and diplomat Émile Haguenin (1872 to 1924) came from the village.

Viticulture and landscape

Land use shows how varied the area is. According to the 2018 data, the commune's surface breaks down as follows:

• Arable land: 31.6 per cent
• Woodland: 27.9 per cent
• Permanent crops: 24.7 per cent
• Built-up areas and meadows: 6.1 per cent each

In this region, permanent crops mean above all vines. Around a quarter of the land is therefore given over for good to crops such as vineyards, a figure that marks Cuchery out as a wine-growing village. The climate is oceanic. At the nearest weather station in Chambrecy, six kilometres away, the annual average for 1991 to 2020 was 10.7 degrees and rainfall was 734 millimetres. Winter frosts and fresh summers are part of the conditions the growers work with here.

Cumières

History

The name of the place is recorded from the early 11th century in forms such as Corcheracum. The territory was home to the lordship of Grancour. In 1776 a great fire destroyed almost the whole village. Rebuilding was only possible thanks to the generosity of the Bishop of Soissons, whose diocese Cuchery belonged to.

What to see

The most important building is the church of Saint-Maurice, which is protected as a monument historique. A visit combines well with a drive through the vineyards of the Châtillonnais and the Marne valley. The inhabitants are called Cucheriats. As of 1 January 2023 the commune had 412 inhabitants. The Germanist, Romanist and diplomat Émile Haguenin (1872 to 1924) came from the village.