The 21 representatives of the state parties to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention unanimously voted in favour of including the Champagne slopes, houses and cellars on the World Heritage List in the Living Cultural Landscapes category. The committee members recognised their ‘Exceptional Universal Value’ and deemed that the protection and management conditions for the proposed property had been fulfilled.
The Association Paysages du Champagne has spent eight years putting together and managing the area’s application. President Pierre Cheval said: "Inclusion on the list is a form of recognition but also an undertaking to the world’s nations, so we must ensure that we are worthy of it. We are duty bound to preserve and maintain this landscape, know-how and heritage so that we can pass them on unspoilt to future generations.”
