Venteuil combines Champagne production with sacred architecture and the landscape of a protected natural area. The winery visits offer different highlights: production facilities, a tour in German, cellar tours or a small museum. You can choose according to whether the production process, a particular type of visit or local history matters most to you. The Église Sainte-Geneviève and the Pâtis de Damery broaden the focus from wine to heritage and heathland.

Champagne and terroir

Venteuil lies on south-facing slopes and is characterized by clay-limestone soils. At Champagne B. Hennequin, tours include traditional facilities: the press, fermentation room, riddling racks and cellars. This gives the visit a clear focus on the stages of production. The house also offers tastings by appointment for individuals and small groups of no more than 15 people. Confirm your appointment before you arrive.

Champagne Louis Déhu welcomes visitors for a tour and tasting in German. If a German-language tour is important to you, this is a specific difference in the type of visit. Confirm the arrangements before your trip. At Champagne Maurice Grumier, cellar tours and tastings are available by appointment only. The house has its roots in a wine-growing family that has been based in Venteuil for twelve generations.

At Champagne du Rédempteur, the visit includes a small museum, vine grafting, a press, a cellar or fermentation area, and oak barrels, including a carved barrel. A tasting of selected cuvées is offered afterwards. The combination of an exhibition and insights into production offers a different focus from a visit centered on cellar tours or traditional facilities.

Church and winemaking history

The Église Sainte-Geneviève is built of millstone; its massive four-sided bell tower recalls early Romanesque architecture. It is considered probably the oldest building in Venteuil. The church’s design and tower give it a clearly defined architectural character.

The church houses a Pietà, which has been protected as a historic monument since 1966. The building and sculpture offer different ways to explore the area’s heritage. The history of the area also includes a conflict over winegrowing: in 1911, Venteuil was the starting point for the Champagne winegrowers’ unrest.

Heathland, vineyards and trails

The Pâtis de Damery Natura 2000 site also includes the municipality of Venteuil. Its heathland is among the best-preserved in the Montagne de Reims. The GR14 crosses the designated ZNIEFF from one end to the other.

The Ferme d’Harnotay offers a remarkable viewpoint over the Marne Valley. From there, a path leads in the direction of the Pâtis de Damery. The long-distance trail and this path therefore differ in their described relationship to the area: the GR14 crosses it, while the path from the farm leads towards it.

Discover more destinations: Esternay, Villeneuve-la-Lionne, Dommartin-Varimont, Moussy, Mourmelon-Le-Petit, La Chaussée-Sur-Marne, Marson, Witry-Lès-Reims

For the wider travel overview: Marne.