The first vines were cultivated in Champagne in the 4th century. In the Middle Ages, the wines of the region were known as “mountain wines or “river wines”. After a long pause during the Hundred Years’ War, the Champagne vineyard was reborn in the 15th century. At the end of the 17th century, all that was spoken of was Champagne wine. Delimited by law in 1927, the wine-growing area of the Champagne appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) covers some 34,300 hectares spread over four departments. The Montagne de Reims area (photo) has ten communes classified as Grand Cru de Champagne.