The Paysages de Champagne tourist rest stop is worthy of its name. Located above Les Riceys, the rest area offers an unobstructed view over part of the three villages that make up Les Riceys and over the Côte des Bar, the largest Champagne growing area where pinot noir holds sway. The landscape is a tapestry of vineyards, valleys and forests in subtle hues. The viewpoint has lively and detailed information boards (in French and English) which explain this vineyard's main features.
The village of Les Riceys is typical of the Champagne landscapes, while being unique in having three AOC wines: Champagne, Rosé des Riceys and Coteaux Champenois. The tourist rest stop is one of the stages on the circuit des cadoles, a circular walk where visitors can immerse themselves in the local landscape and explore the small drystone huts amid the vines that once served as shelters for the winemakers.
The landscape is characterised by a subtle play of shapes and colours. Villages are concealed within the vegetation while the towers of the three churches rise above the canopy formed by the rooftops and trees.
The vineyards gradually come into view on an exposed slope, between two forests or on the plateau. The forests are not restricted to the plateaux alone but follow the lines of certain hillsides, border the roads, intersperse the fields and run alongside the waterways on the valley floor.
They sit alongside agricultural plains on the plateaux, on hillsides less conducive to vine cultivation and on the valley bottom.
Finally, the Laignes Valley brings together these landscape features and forms the backbone of Les Riceys.
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Practical information
Paysages du Champagne tourist rest stop - Les Riceys - on the RD17 heading towards Mussy-sur-Seine.
For more information: Les Riceys District Tourist Office
14 place des Héros de la Résistance
+ 33 3 25 29 15 38
