Charles de Cazanove is one of the oldest Champagne houses in Reims. Its unusual name comes from an adventurous young man from the region who traveled to Venice in the 16th century to perfect his glassmaking skills. When he returned to Champagne he decided to change his name to Cazanove, the French spelling of the Italian Casanova, or “new house.” More than a century later one of his descendants, Charles Gabriel de Cazanove, founded the Champagne house in Avize. Today the company is part of a larger Champagne group.