The Champagne region's winegrowing heritage is so much more than just imposing monuments and prestigious mansions. It also includes more modest rural buildings, such as the dry-stone huts known as cadoles, found at the southern end of the Champagne growing region. There are at least 200 of these vineyard shelters, which in bygone days served a practical function, but nowadays are seen as important vestiges of local culture.
Typical of the Côte des Bar vineyards, cadoles tended to be round, built without mortar or a framework, using dry stones collected in the immediate area. Off the beaten track amid the vines, these shelters enabled winegrowers to warm up in winter, enjoy a breath of cool air in the summer, pause for a bite to eat or rest a while.
Some huts have stood the test of time better than others, and many have now been overgrown by the vegetation that invaded the growing plots destroyed by the phylloxera epidemic, which hit the vineyards in the late 19th century.
Sometimes covered in moss and “consumed” by the landscape, the “surviving” cadoles are an attractive feature of the local landscape, representative of age-old practices. Heritage organisations ensure they are protected and restored.
The cadoles in the Aube district are particularly prominent and concentrated in two areas where walking routes have been created: around the villages of Courteron and Les Riceys.
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Practical information
- Courteron cadoles trail: 10km - Departure point: rue des Œillets in Courteron. For more information: +33 3 25 38 20 94 or Essoyes Tourist Office – place de la Marie - +33 3 25 29 21 27
- Les Riceys cadoles circuit: 23km (7-hour walk), 14.5km (4-hour walk), 7km (2-hour walk) – For more information: Les Riceys Tourist Office - 14 place des Héros de la Résistance - + 33 3 25 29 15 38.
