Verzy

Between vines and forest

Verzy sits on the north-eastern slope of the Montagne de Reims at an altitude of about 284 metres, roughly 15 to 17 kilometres south-east of Reims. The village, in the Marne département, is surrounded by the Montagne de Reims Regional Nature Park. Its neighbouring communes include Verzenay, Ambonnay, Trépail and Villers-Marmery, all well-known names to champagne lovers. At 288 metres, the highest point of the Montagne de Reims lies within the commune. 961 people live in the village (as of 1 January 2023).

Winegrowing as a grand cru

Verzy is classified as grand cru and lives mainly from growing grapes for champagne. The commune covers 1,337 hectares, of which 763 hectares are woodland. According to Corine Land Cover data, in 2018 around 57 per cent of the area was forest and a good 32 per cent permanent crops, essentially vineyards. Forest and vines lie close together here. The climate is oceanic and rather cool: the nearest weather station, in Mailly-Champagne, reports an average of 11.2 °C and about 755 millimetres of rainfall a year for 1991 to 2020. As is usual on the Montagne de Reims, Pinot Noir plays the leading role.

“In 664 Archbishop Nivard of Reims had a Benedictine monastery founded in his honour, which lasted until 1652.

History

The village has a long ecclesiastical past. Around 575, the hermit Basolus withdrew into the forest of Verzy. In 664 Archbishop Nivard of Reims had a Benedictine monastery founded in his honour, which lasted until 1652. In June 991, at the instigation of Hugh Capet, a council met there and condemned Archbishop Arnulf of Reims for treachery. During the Hundred Years' War, Edward III set up his headquarters here to prepare the attack on Reims. In 1652 soldiers of the Duke of Lorraine burned the abbey down. From 1896 to 1947 Verzy was also the terminus of a narrow-gauge railway from Reims.

Viticulture

Sights and places to visit

The best-known destination is the Faux de Verzy forest. The beeches, known as faux, grow with twisted, gnarled trunks and branches, the result of a genetic mutation, although a legend blames it on a monk's curse. The Verzy state forest was awarded the Forêt d'Exception label on 8 March 2023. Other places worth a stop:

• Mont Sinaï, the highest accessible point of the Montagne de Reims, with a panorama as well as a First World War observation post and blockhouse
• The 19th-century church of Notre-Dame, with a 14th-century statue of the Virgin, an 18th-century altarpiece and the reliquary of Saint Basolus
• The chapel of Saint-Basle
• The GR 141 long-distance footpath, which runs through the village

If you explore the area on foot, you can easily combine a walk in the forest with views over the vine slopes, and then stop for a bite or a glass in the village or in the neighbouring villages.