🍾 De Venoge

De Venoge is a Champagne house in Épernay, in the Marne department. According to the house, Henri-Marc de Venoge, a native of the Swiss canton of Vaud, moved to Champagne and in 1837, together with his son Joseph, founded the firm “de Venoge & Cie” in Épernay. The house says that in 1838 it created the first illustrated label in the history of Champagne.

According to the house, its symbol is the Cordon Bleu, a reference to the river Venoge and the Order of the Holy Spirit. It was among the founders of the Syndicat des Grandes Marques de Champagne and later joined the Boizel Chanoine Champagne group. The house’s ranges are Cordon Bleu (Pinot Noir-led), Princes and the prestige Louis XV from grands crus in fine years. Today the house is based at 33 Avenue de Champagne.

Champagne is a wine with a protected designation of origin (PDO). The bubbles come only from a second fermentation in the bottle, the wine is aged for at least 15 months before sale (36 for vintage), and all production takes place only within the delimited area. De Venoge is a brand; Champagne is the name of a place.

Why it matters to you. “Cordon Bleu” and “Princes” are the house’s range names, while next to them on the label stand terms defined by the rules: brut, extra brut, blanc de blancs (white grapes only), blanc de noirs, millésime (vintage). The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.