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Vineyards have been planted in Champagne ever since the beginning of our era. Although its surface area has been reduced over time, its unique characteristics were recognised very early on and the defense of its AOC was the first to be accepted.
The Champagne Appellation was first marked out over 15,000 hectares in 1908. In 1927 the appellation was defined conclusively, respecting the history of each commune and plot of land. The current surface area stretches over 34,000 hectares.
The AOC is administered by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine. As well as the delimitation of the area, the Appellation carries 35 rules to uphold the quality of Champagne wines: only 3 grape varieties
are permitted, yields in both the vineyard and during pressing are limited, the pruning of vines, their height, spacing and density, harvest by hand, minimum ageing periods, are all controlled.The Champagne Appellation is the object of many counterfeiting operations, one of the missions of the CIVC is to defend the Appellation against any attack on its exclusivity, anywhere in the world.