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106:"), in the early 20th century the immense amount of capital needed to produce Champagne was beyond the reach of most growers. Champagne houses were able to bear the large risk of losing a considerable amount of product from exploding bottles as well as the cost of maintaining storage facilities for the long, labor-intensive process of making Champagne. This dynamic created a system that favored the Champagne houses as the only source of revenue for the vineyard owners. If the Champagne houses did not buy their grapes, a grower had little recourse or opportunity for another stream of income.
180:, to negotiate prices with vine growers. These commissionaires were paid according to how low a price they could negotiate, so many used tactics including violence and intimidation. Some commissionaires openly sought bribes, often in the form of extra grapes, from vine growers to which they would sell themselves for profit. The prices they were able to negotiate rarely covered the cost of farming and harvesting which left many Champenois vine growers in poverty. Champenois vineyard owners were being paid less for fewer grapes. Poverty was widespread.
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289:, the historic capital of Champagne, is located, promoted further discontent as the Aubois protested the decision. The Aube, located south of the Marne, was closer to the Burgundy region in terms of soil and location. The growers of the Marne viewed the region as "foreign" and not capable of producing true Champagne but the Aubois viewed themselves as Champenois and clung to their historical roots.
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burned vineyards, destroyed the cellars of wine merchants, and ransacked houses as hundreds of liters of wine were lost. The government was once again going back to the drawing-board in search of a solution to end the violence and appease all parties. Negotiations among vine growers, producers and government officials was ongoing when
134:. The 1910 vintages were afflicted by hailstorms and flooding. Nearly 96% of the crop was lost. Champagne's growing popularity, as well as the lack of grape supply in Champagne, encouraged the Champagne houses to look outside the Champagne region for a cheaper supply of grapes. Some producers began using grapes from
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of
Champagne's villages set up a price structure for the grapes. Villages were rated on a numerical 80-100 scale based on the potential quality (and value) of their grapes. The price for a kilogram of grapes was set and vineyards owners would receive a fraction of that price depending on the village
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within the
Champagne appellation. This provoked the growers in the Marne region to react violently to their loss of privilege and they lashed out again against merchants and producers who they accused of making wine from "foreign grapes"—including those from the Aube. Thousands of wine growers
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village with a 95 rating would receive 95% of the price and so forth down the line. Today the business dynamic between
Champagne houses and vineyards owners is not so strictly regulated but the classification system still serves as an aid in determining prices with Grand and Premier crus vineyards
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was practised among various
Champagne houses in order to drive down the prices of grapes to as a low as they would go, with the ever-present threat that if the houses could not get their grapes cheaply enough they will continue to source grapes from outside the region. With vineyard owners vastly
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to protect the vine grower or the consumer, Champagne houses held most of the power in the region to profit from these fake
Champagnes. The Champenois vine growers were incensed at these practices, believing that using "foreign" grapes to make sparkling wine was not producing true Champagne. They
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that year alone), low income and the belief that wine merchants were using grapes from outside the
Champagne region. The precipitating event may have been the announcement in 1908 by the French government that it would delimit by decree the exact geographic area that would be granted economic
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and
Hautvilliers. Champenois vine growers intercepted trucks with grapes from the Loire Valley and pushed them into the Marne river. They then descended upon the warehouses of producers known to produce fake Champagne, tossing more wine and barrels into the Marne. The owner of
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for the
Champagne region. Only wines produced from grapes grown within the geographical boundaries (that included the Marne, Aube and parts of the Aisne departments) could be entitled to the name Champagne. Eventually these principles were enshrined by the
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Protest erupted from growers in the Aube district as they sought to be reinstated as part of the
Champagne region. The government, trying to avoid any further violence and disruption, sought a "compromise solution" by designating the department as a
229:. As the mob descended upon the city little was spared. Homes of private citizens as well as Champagne house producers were pillaged and ransacked. Somewhere a fire was started that spread throughout the city. The regional governor sent an urgent
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The relationship between the growers and
Champagne producers was not the only source of tension. Within the Champagne region itself there was civil discontent among neighbors as to what truly represented "Champagne". The
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region, the production of Champagne is largely in the hands of producers who purchase grapes from independent growers. While some growers today produce wines under their own labels (known collectively as
483:, their quality representing the whole of the country rather than just a region. Eventually the name of Aÿ became a shorthand term to refer to all the wines of the Champagne region. (Much like
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The tension between producers in the Marne (highlighted top) and the Aube (to the south) was the source of further rioting as the geographical boundaries of the Champagne region was debated.
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petitioned the government for assistance and a law was passed requiring that at least 51% of the grapes used to make Champagne needed to come from the Champagne region itself.
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to be transported to Champagne at prices nearly half of what the houses were paying Champenois vine growers for their grapes. Newspapers published rumors of some houses buying
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tried to answer the vine growers concerns by passing legislation defining where Champagne wine was to come from. This early legislation dictated that the
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By sunrise the entire village of Aÿ was burning. To quell the violence, the French government sent over 40,000 troops to the region—setting up a
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The development of the French railway system in the 1850s provided easy access for Champagne houses to cheaper grapes outside the Champagne region.
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The history of Aÿ has been intimately connected with the pride and prestige of the Champagne region. In the 16th century, King
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Following the riots, the French government worked with a collaboration of vineyard owners and Champagne houses to delineate an
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that ravaged vineyards across France began to affect Champagne. The harvests between 1902 and 1909 were further troubled by
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department were the only areas approved to grow grapes for Champagne production. The glaring exclusion of the
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of the 20th century were difficult, due to frost and rains severely reducing the crop yields. The
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receiving considerably more for their grapes than vineyards in villages with ratings below 90%.
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broke out and the region saw all parties united in defense of country and the Champagne region.
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The discontent that eventually led to the riots began during the 19th century. The early
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In January 1911, frustrations reached boiling point as riots erupted along the towns of
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were produced. Such was the reputation of the wines of Aÿ that they were known as the
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of 1910 and 1911 resulted from a series of problems faced by grape growers in the
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MORE CHAMPAGNE RIOTS.; Mob Sacks Wine Merchants' Houses In Disturbed District.
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54:. These included four years of disastrous crop losses, the infestation of the
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217:(Down with cheats). He was able to escape harm by hiding in the home of his
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outnumbering the producers, the Champagne houses used this dynamic of
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louse (which destroyed 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) of
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found his house surrounded by an angry mob chanting
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to their advantage. They hired operatives, known as
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Early 20th c. riots in the Champagne area of France
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93:Relationship between growers and Champagne houses
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332:villages would receive 100% of the price while
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599:Revolt of the winegrovers of Champagne in 1911
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81:districts to the significant exclusion of the
63:advantage and protection by being awarded the
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387:The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia (4th Edition)
328:rating where they were located. Vineyards in
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491:is used today to refer to the wines of the
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67:appellation. This early development of
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447:pp 129-151 Harper Collins Publisher
85:district which included the town of
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389:pg 170-172 Dorling Kindersley 2005
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630:Riots and civil disorder in France
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675:Agriculture and forestry strikes
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467:was fond of calling himself the
685:1911 labor disputes and strikes
680:1910 labor disputes and strikes
572:pg 175 Workman Publishing 2001
321:Protected Designation of Origin
312:Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
253:Establishing the Champagne zone
237:requesting assistance stating,
172:excess supply vs limited demand
70:Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
550:"The Oxford Companion to Wine"
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640:History of Marne (department)
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277:and a few villages from the
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369:pg 292 Harper Collins 2000
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192:Ay, champagne house burned.
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510:Vintage: The Story of Wine
412:Vintage: The Story of Wine
73:regulation benefitted the
625:Labor disputes in France
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530:A Short History of Wine
499:regions, respectively).
367:A Short History of Wine
18:Champagne Riots of 1911
443:D. & P. Kladstrup
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239:"We are in a state of
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325:classification system
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215:"A bas les fraudeurs"
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154:from England to make
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601:at Wikimedia Commons
347:History of Champagne
200:Soldiers in Épernay.
128:phylloxera epidemic
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605:The New York Times
385:T. Stevenson, ed.
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249:in every village.
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300:World War I
295:second zone
158:. With few
670:1911 riots
665:1910 riots
619:Categories
607:archives "
353:References
330:Grand crus
275:department
56:phylloxera
465:Francis I
445:Champagne
306:Aftermath
241:civil war
231:telegraph
219:concierge
167:Collusion
156:wine from
148:Languedoc
99:Champagne
65:Champagne
60:vineyards
48:Champagne
497:Burgundy
485:Bordeaux
341:See also
124:vintages
50:area of
493:Gironde
471:Gonesse
227:Épernay
152:rhubarb
136:Germany
97:In the
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489:Beaune
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287:Troyes
247:billet
206:Damery
87:Troyes
52:France
36:Damery
477:flour
319:with
279:Aisne
272:Marne
235:Paris
184:Riots
140:Spain
79:Aisne
75:Marne
574:ISBN
554:ISBN
534:ISBN
514:ISBN
495:and
449:ISBN
416:ISBN
391:ISBN
371:ISBN
283:Aube
138:and
83:Aube
77:and
42:The
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233:to
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621::
426:^
401:^
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223:Aÿ
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20:)
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