The village is located on the Côte des Blancs, a prestigious site in Champagne. It has a vineyard of 270 hectares which represents almost 40% of the total territory.
The commune extends from West to East over 5 km with an average width of 1.5 km.
To the West the mountain of Avize culminates at 248 meters at a place called "Le bois du Moulin".
The current wooded area replaces the pastures covered by sheep and cattle in recent centuries. Only a few small ponds remain from clay mining.
To the east overlooking the Champagne plain, the Côte d'Avize descends suddenly with a very steep slope of almost 25% over a distance of 300 meters.
There remain traces of prehistoric occupation of the site including the menhir of "Haute Borne" classified as a historic monument since 1887.
The Gauls and Romans established observation camps and the first inhabitants settled on the top of the mountain slope.
In the 12th century, Avize was a small stronghold surrounded by walls and ditches. In the Middle Ages, the city was fortified by ramparts, the northern rampart, the southern rampart.
In 1590 during the War of the League, the Saint-Nicolas church was burned down. In 1632, a fire destroyed half of the town.
In 1719, the ramparts were razed by the Count of Hery, lord of Avize to punish the inhabitants who did not want to pay feudal rights.
With the discovery of Champagne by Dom Pérignon, Avize began to transform.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Avize was an important town with more than 2,600 inhabitants.
The city was then enriched with beautiful wine houses such as Château Desbordes, currently owned by the municipality.
The village, initially confined between the old ramparts, extended to the station with the arrival of the railway and then recently on the other side of the D9 road with the creation of several housing estates.
Today Avize provides its residents with essential public services, post office, gendarmerie and health services: retirement home, doctors, pharmacy, dentists, nurses, physiotherapists, speech therapist, chiropodist.
There are educational establishments: wine high school, apprentice training center, college, school, nursery, daycare, leisure centers and sports and cultural facilities: library, association center, gymnasium, stadium, football fields and tennis courts.
Shops are present: bakery, butcher, delicatessen, beauty salon, newspapers, hairdresser, florists, garages, café, pizzeria, wine shops and various services (banks, notary, surveyor).
Around a hundred independent winegrowers or grouped together in a cooperative operate this renowned vineyard, producing and selling a world-renowned “blanc de Blancs” champagne. There we find the vineyards and harvesters of very large brands such as Mumm, Moët et Chandon, Roederer, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Lanson… Trading and Cooperatives are also represented.
With this high level of equipment, Avize is the important town of the Côte des Blancs, which gives it an attractive power among neighboring municipalities and which allows it to accommodate a larger population.
