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Avenue de Champagne, Épernay, France | |
| It's a prestigious address, and with good reason! | ||
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The Avenue de Champagne is home to many of the big name champagne producers, including Möet et Chandon, Perrier Jouet, Pol Roger, and Mercier. You'll also find other smaller labels, many of which are not exported from France. You can visit some of these houses. More... Underneath the Avenue de Champagne are 110 kilometers of cellars that make up the caves where about 200 million bottles of champagne age. It's no wonder that some people consider this street the most valuable in the world! The average depth of the caves is 30 meters (98 feet) and they provide the constant temperature the champagne requires. Taken as a whole, the labyrinth of caves forms an underground city. The Avenue de Champagne is just over a kilometer in length, and you can easily walk along and admire the various champagne houses. (If you prefer not to walk, the Petit Train, called Mill'Bulles, goes the length of the avenue.) About three quarters of the way down the avenue you'll come to the Place de Champagne, easily recognized by the large champagne cork in the middle of the flower-filled circle.
Although many of the champagne house buildings are largely industrial, some are housed in elegant older mansions. Most feature large wrought iron fences and gates, which gives some architectural unity to the street.
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What better address could you want?
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