Épernay is home to Champagne’s famous Avenue de Champagne.
The avenue is one of the region’s best-known wine landmarks. It runs through Épernay and is lined by prestigious Champagne houses, including Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, and Mercier. The buildings above ground are impressive, but the most remarkable feature lies beneath them.
Épernay’s chalk cellars extend for many kilometres and provide cool, stable conditions for storing bottles during maturation. The town is in the Marne department of northeastern France, near the vineyards of the Marne Valley and the Côte des Blancs.
Reims is also a major Champagne centre, so it is a common mix-up. Reims is especially associated with the region’s cathedral and several important Champagne houses, while the Avenue de Champagne specifically belongs to Épernay.