CHAMPAGNE AOC VINEYARD AREA | For more on the Champagne region see here.

CHAMPAGNE AOC DELIMITED VINEYARD AREA

34,500 hectares (82,215 acres) = AOC Champagne area delimited. This decision was taken between 1908 and 1919 (Tom Stevenson, 1988, p47).

CHAMPAGNE AOC PLANTABLE VINEYARD AREA

31,050 hectares (76,700 acres) = AOC Champagne that is practical to plant (i.e., not footpaths, drainage, escarpments etc) (Tom Stevenson, 1988, p47).

CHAMPAGNE AOC ACTUAL PLANTED VINEYARD AREA

2002 30,590 hectares (75,560 acres) = AOC Champagne currently planted and in production, says Tom Stevenson. In a personal communication in 2002 Tom said ‘it’s been pushing the limit since the mid-1990s. This is less than three per cent of France’s national vineyard. The vineyard area has tripled since the 1970s when the vineyards were enlarged considerably. The main vineyards are in Aisne (2,800 hectares or 6,916 acres), Marne (21,600ha or 53,352 acres) and Aube (6,600 hectares of 16,302 acres).’

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Champagne by Tom Stevenson (Sotheby’s, 1986; second updated impression 1988), p47.