Oiry

Location

Oiry lies in the Marne département, about 26 kilometres south-south-east of Reims and within the orbit of Épernay. Its neighbouring communes include Aÿ-Champagne to the north, Chouilly to the west, and Cramant and Avize to the south. Anyone who knows the Côte des Blancs will find some of its best-known names packed closely together here.

The commune covers a good 10 square kilometres. The village itself sits in the north, at an altitude of 70 to 80 metres. The vines grow in the south-west, where the land rises to over 100 metres. The Tarnauds, a small tributary of the Marne that joins it at Épernay, flows through the village. The climate is oceanic: the nearest weather station, in Chouilly, recorded an average of 11.4 °C and just under 669 millimetres of rainfall a year for 1991 to 2020.

Viticulture

Oiry is classified as grand cru and belongs to the Côte des Blancs growing area. This chain of hills stands for Chardonnay in Champagne, and so for pale, fresh and often mineral wines. If you enjoy blanc de blancs, keep an eye out for the name Oiry on the label or in the description of the vineyard sites.

“The railway later played an important part: in 1849 the line from Paris to Strasbourg opened, and Oiry got a station.

Land use shows, however, that Oiry does not live by wine alone. According to the 2018 data, a good 66 per cent of the land is arable and only about 9 per cent is given over to permanent crops, which include the vineyards. There is also an industrial zone served by the railway line.

History

The village name is documented from the 12th century, then still as Oyri. In 1498 the form "Le Grant Oiry" appears, meaning Great Oiry. The railway later played an important part: in 1849 the line from Paris to Strasbourg opened, and Oiry got a station. The station building, in the typical style of the Compagnie de l'Est from the 1850s, still stands, although passenger trains no longer stop here. The branch line towards Romilly-sur-Seine, which opened between 1870 and 1872, now carries freight only.

Charles Lafitte Champagner Flasche

Things to see

• The church of Saint-Hilaire in the village centre
• The Menhir de la Haute-Borne, which is listed under Avize and has been protected as a monument historique since 1889
• The former station, a reminder of the Compagnie de l'Est in the 19th century

The village has 884 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023) and combines well with a visit to Avize, Cramant or Épernay. The inhabitants are called Oiryats. A short walk along the vine slopes in the south-west is worthwhile for getting a feel for where the grand cru parcels lie.