ÇA VA SANS DIRE: THE REIMS CATHEDRAL, THAT WITNESSED THE CORONATION OF THE KINGS OF FRANCE UNTIL 1825, IS 800 YEARS OLD. WHAT HAVE THE FRENCH PLANNED? THE VIGNERONS OF CHAMPAGNE WILL RENOVATE THE STATUARY OF THE ROSE WINDOW IN THE CENTRAL FACADE

Ça va sans dire: The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims in the Champagne region, one of the most magnificent Gothic art masterpieces in Europe, which has been the stage for the coronation of all the Kings in France until 1825 and a Unesco World Heritage, is 800 years old. How are the French planning to celebrate? The vignerons of the Maison of Champagne, whose ancestors helped build the Cathedral, members of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (Civc) will restore the statuary around the rose window of the main façade, which is one of the most important masterpieces in art history, thanks to an agreement with the Society of Friends of the Reims Cathedral and the Heritage Foundation (www.champagne.fr).
Through the centuries, the Reims Cathedral has welcomed the monarchs and nobility of France and contributed to the reputation and popularity of the wines of Champagne, which they served at royal banquets. To show their deep appreciation the wine producers of Champagne, who founded the Comité located in Epernay, have participated many times in the restoration of the Cathedral. In 1954, the Comité donated stain glass windows with three lancets depicting scenes of wine producing villages, works in the vineyards and wine that adorn the south side of the transept, to substitute the ones that had been destroyed by time and wars. In 1986 they contributed to creating a light and sound show which enhanced the value of the Cathedral and in 1988 they contributed to reactivating the carillon and the mechanism of the astronomical clock that had been destroyed during 1914 bombardments. A few years later (1991/1992) they helped save the delicate sculptures above the central door, victims of erosion and pollution. And, in 1994 they restored and replaced the neo-gothic decorations in the nave. Today, 800 years after their ancestors helped build the cathedral, the vignerons and the Maison Champagne are once again offering their support to this important monument and Unesco World Heritage since 1991.

WineNews – We also have our own “Reims”, but…
The history of the wine producers of Champagne has always been linked to the magnificent Reims Cathedral: the ancestors of today’s vignerons built it and their descendents have always taken care of it through restorations and renovations. It is the perfect example of how a wine is the child of its own territory and of how it owes everything to its territory. What about Italy? There are some similar initiatives: in Venice, the work of Public Institutions together with the contribution of a sole wine producer have returned the island of Venissa to its original splendour and in Montepulciano the producers of Nobile wine restored the Medieval Fortress. These initiatives are really not enough considering how many wines owe their fortune to their territory…