Champagne Corporation Or Small Business Wine Producer: Who should you support?

One of the great marketing tools around the holidays is the “Small Business Saturday” battle cry we utilize. What seems like a great, wholesome, local niche trend was started in 2010 by American Express as an advertisement. However, in 2011, President Obama shared support for small business and pushed the “Small Business Saturday” mentality and it truly has grown over the last decade.

         Many wine drinkers tend to follow somewhat of the same mentality. Many wine drinkers prefer local wineries as opposed to big wine distributors. For example, in my area we have many local wineries, and their bottles can be purchased only on-site, but if you drive to the local grocer, you probably will see the same 20-40 bottles most find at grocers across the country. Whether it be Prisoner or Barefoot, you can almost guarantee one if not both will be on the shelf and possibly not that local winery.

         That all being said, many wine drinkers prefer getting cases of the local stuff at the vineyard itself as opposed to the factory-wine I mentioned above. Local vineyards tend to make both regular wine (possibly from juice brought in) or estate wine (from the vines they own and grapes they grow). My recommendation is always to try and purchase their  “estate” wine if they offer that option. This is wine they made from grapes they grew. Literally from start to finish, this is their wine. If it is not “estate” wine, more than likely they had the juice brought in and then fermented the juice into alcohol. Either way, you may get an amazing product.

         Champagnes in France are very similar. Many of the Champagnes we know, and love are truly “just” factories making the sweet (or dry) bubbly. These factories are known as “Champagne Houses.” A Champagne House that purely makes Champagne from the grapes/juice they purchased from someone else is known as a Négociant-Manipulant (NM). These NMs do NOT make “estate” wine and have no grapes/juice of their own in the Champagne.

         If you want a Champagne that is a “mom and pop” operation, essentially a Champagne House that made Champagne from their own grapes, then you want to look for a Récoltant-Manipulant (RM). These Champagne Houses grown their own grapes, make their own juice and make Champagne from their own supply. These are essentially your “Small Business Saturday” Champagnes.

         In my honest opinion, the flavor profile is so much more pronounced than those that are mass produced. But I do love many NMs. (Not sure I ever had a bad Champagne)

         So, sure, you are now asking, ‘How do I know what kind of Champagne I am drinking?’

         The answer to this question is honestly easier to answer than almost anything in France regarding wine. In fact, this is one of the few clues, French wine labels give you. By law, they must tell you whether the bottle is from an NM or an RM. Unfortunately, the label does not say “estate” or “stuff we made from our own grapes.” That would be too easy.

         Instead, they put the letters RM or NM on the bottle. In fact, there are 7 possible letters you may see on the label (I will list these possibilities at the end). But the two most common (and most important in my opinion) are NM and RM.

Veuve Cliquot has their NM at the bottom, front of the label whereas, Chateau de Bligny has their RM on the bottom, back of their label.

         So, the next time you go shopping for Champagne, take a closer look at the label. Now you will look for these two letters and again, by law, every Champagne must have it somewhere on the label. These, what you thought were insignificant letters, could be the deciding factor the next time you buy a bottle of bubbly.

The 7 options for letters include

NM – Négociant-Manipulant. Champagne maker that uses other peoples grapes to make Champagne.

RM – Récoltant-Manipulant. Champagne maker that uses their own grapes to make Champagne.

RC – Récoltant-Coopérateur. Grape grower that takes grapes to a Champagne House for make Champagne then takes it back to their own store to sell on their own label.

SR – Societé de Récoltants. Group of growers that bring their supply together to sell one brand/label.

CM – Coopérative de Manipulants. Co-op cellar that makes wine for its members.

MA - Marque Auxillaire. Private label registered by a group or store. (think $2 Chuck

ND – Négociant-Distributeur. Buyer who purchases finished, bottled Champagne but puts their own label on it.

I hope this helps

Cheers.