Verzenay

Drive into the Montagne de Reims from Reims and after about 14 kilometres you reach Verzenay. The village, with 991 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023), is one of the grand cru sites of the Champagne region and sits in the middle of the vineyards.

Location

Verzenay lies in the Marne département on the north-eastern edge of the Montagne de Reims and belongs to the Montagne de Reims Regional Nature Park. The Vesle flows through the commune, and the Marne-Rhine Canal runs to the north-east. Neighbouring communes include Sillery, Verzy and Mailly-Champagne, which you may also know as a grand cru village.

Viticulture

The landscape around Verzenay is shaped by vines: according to the 2018 Corine Land Cover data, 43.1 per cent of the commune's area is given over to permanent crops, 34.3 per cent to forest and 19.3 per cent to arable land. Built-up land makes up only 3.2 per cent. On this north-facing slope of the ridge, it is above all Pinot Noir that counts as the signature grape. It produces champagne with structure, power and depth, qualities that connoisseurs value highly.

“Of around 2,100 inhabitants in August 1914, Verzenay lost many people to war and flight.

Météo-France describes the climate as oceanic in character, with cool winters. The nearest weather station, in Mailly-Champagne, recorded an average annual temperature of 11.2 °C and an average of 755.5 millimetres of rainfall for 1991 to 2020.

History

The inhabitants are called Bouquins. The name recalls the bouquet of flowers that villagers handed to the lord of the manor in the Middle Ages when they paid their taxes.

The First World War brought a deep rupture. The village lay only about three kilometres from the front line on the crest of the chalk slopes, which made it an easy target for German artillery. Over four years it was shelled 257 times, and more than 6,000 shells struck its houses. Of around 2,100 inhabitants in August 1914, Verzenay lost many people to war and flight. 75 houses were completely destroyed and only four were left undamaged. Shells and trenches wiped out 95 hectares of vines, and the remaining 350 or so hectares of the vineyard area lay fallow. Rebuilding took ten years.

Sights

• Church of Saint-Pierre
• A lighthouse among the vineyards, well known as a viewpoint over the vine slopes
• A windmill dating from 1818

Verzenay has a twinning partnership with the Belgian municipality of Berloz in Wallonia. For champagne lovers, the village is worth visiting above all as a starting point for walks through the vineyards and for tastings with the region's growers.