Aube and Champagne

As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. The Tricasses and Lingones were the first to settle on the Cote des Bar in 400BC. Later in the 2-3rd century, Greeks and monks settled in the area, establishing the winemaking culture. Winemaking in the area dates back more than 1000 years and served the territories of northern France. The region has long been regarded as a second-rate wine-growing region, and it was also pushed out of the Champagne region in the early twentieth century. The Cote des Bar's leading wine growers protested this event. The region was granted the Champagne deuxieme zone, or the second champagne zone, in 1911. The region has been a part of the Champagne wine region since 1927.