Once you’ve found your feet with the big Champagne houses, there’s a whole other world waiting to be discovered: grower Champagne. It’s one of the most exciting corners of the bubbly universe, and spotting it is easier than you might think.
Grower vs house, in plain terms
Most famous Champagne comes from large houses that buy grapes from many growers across the region and blend them into a consistent house style. A grower Champagne is different: it’s made by the same family that farms the vines, from their own grapes, often in a single village. Sometimes affectionately called “farmer fizz”, it’s wine made from grape to bottle by one estate.
How to spot it on the label
Look for two tiny letters, usually near the bottom of the label. RM (Récoltant-Manipulant) means the grower made the wine from their own grapes – that’s grower Champagne. NM (Négociant-Manipulant) means a house that buys in grapes, which covers most of the big names.
Why it’s worth trying
Because grower Champagnes come from a single estate and often a single patch of land, they tend to taste of a specific place – more individual, more characterful, and sometimes wonderfully unexpected. They’re also frequently better value than a big-name bottle of similar quality, since you’re paying for the wine rather than the marketing.
Where to start
Ask a good wine shop or a Champagne-focused bar for a grower recommendation and tell them what you enjoy. Half the fun is that no two estates taste quite the same – each bottle is a small discovery.
Ready to track down your first grower Champagne? Explore our map to find places near you that pour genuine Champagne by the glass or bottle, and join a community of fellow enthusiasts chasing the same sparkle around the world.