Charles de Cazanove

Charles de Cazanove is a Champagne house based in Reims, one of the most important cities in the Champagne region of France. Behind the label lies more than two centuries of winemaking history, tied closely to one of the defining crises in French viticulture: the phylloxera epidemic.

How did the Charles de Cazanove house begin?

The story starts in 1811 in Avize, a small village at the heart of the Côte des Blancs, an area prized for growing some of the finest Chardonnay grapes in Champagne. Charles Gabriel de Cazanove founded the house that would carry his family name. His son, Charles Nicolas de Cazanove, trained as a botanist, took the business further, applying his scientific background to the challenges facing the vineyards of his time. He became a key figure in the fight against phylloxera, the vine-destroying insect that devastated European vineyards, Champagne included, during the second half of the 19th century.

Why does Reims matter for the brand today?

Reims functions as the unofficial capital of Champagne, a city where routes through the cellars of the world's best-known Champagne houses converge. It is here that Charles de Cazanove now carries out its work, benefiting from the prestige and infrastructure of a historic city. The cathedral where French kings were once crowned and the UNESCO-listed network of underground cellars make a stop at a Champagne house a natural complement to a day spent exploring Reims.

How do you get to Reims?

High-speed TGV trains connect Paris to Reims in under an hour, making it an easy day trip or a base for a longer stay. The city is also well linked by road to the rest of the Champagne-Ardenne region, so a visit tied to Charles de Cazanove can easily be combined with a trip to nearby wine towns such as Épernay or Avize itself, the village where the house was born.

What can you expect to see on a visit?

Tours of Champagne houses in Reims typically include a walk through the cellars where bottles age, an explanation of the traditional method behind Champagne production, and a tasting. With Charles de Cazanove, the family story stands out: from the founder to his botanist son, whose work reached beyond the business itself and shaped the fate of the region during one of its hardest chapters.

When is the best time to visit?

Champagne draws visitors year-round, but harvest season, from September into early October, shows the vineyards at their busiest and most alive. Spring and early summer offer a quieter alternative, with more relaxed cellar visits and tastings away from the crowds of harvest time.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded the Charles de Cazanove house? Charles Gabriel de Cazanove founded the house in Avize in 1811; his son Charles Nicolas de Cazanove later expanded it.

Where is the brand based today? Charles de Cazanove operates out of Reims, one of the central cities of the Champagne region.

Why is the founder's son significant in Champagne's history? Charles Nicolas de Cazanove, trained as a botanist, was among the leading figures fighting phylloxera, the pest that threatened vineyards across Europe in the 19th century.

Are Avize and Reims the same place? No — Avize is the village in the Côte des Blancs where the house was founded in 1811, while Reims is the city where the brand is based today.