Champagne is the name of the world's most famous sparkling wine, the appellation under which it is sold, and the French wine region it comes from. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay are its principal grape varieties. Less than 30% of Champagne's 34,000 ha (84,000 acres) of neat, low, rows of densely planted vines are light-skinned Chardonnay. All of the 319 Champagne villages are graded for their grape-growing potential between 80% and 100%, those 17 earning 100% qualifying as Grands Crus. Of these, Äy, Bouzy and Sillery are some of the best known for black grapes and Avize, Cramant and Le Mesnil for Chardonnay. The geological nature of Champagne is what makes it such an optimal, indeed unique terroir for the grape varieties that are grown there. Located at a northern latitude of 49°N, the Champagne region lies at the northern edge of the world's vineyard-growing areas, with lower average temperatures than any other French wine region. In this kind of cool climate, the growing season is rarely warm enough to ripen grapes to the levels required for standard winemaking. The soil is mainly composed by limestone and clay limestone, occasionally intermixed with sand and peat. Champagne, the product of this exceptional wine-growing region, fascinates wine lovers all over the world. Since July 5, 2015, the Champagne wine region has been a World Heritage Site.
