🍷 Grower Champagne
Champagne from a winemaker who grows the grapes and makes the wine himself.
Grower Champagne is Champagne from a producer who grows the grapes and makes the wine himself. In French such producers are called récoltant-manipulant. On the label they are easy to spot by the small letters RM next to the producer number.
Champagne's vineyards belong to about sixteen thousand growers. The big Champagne houses usually buy grapes from them and blend wines from many villages so the taste stays the same year after year. A grower, by contrast, works only with his own plots. His Champagne therefore shows more of a particular village and year.
These wines are made in small batches by the same traditional method as all Champagne: second fermentation in bottle, ageing on the lees, riddling and disgorging. Since the 2000s grower Champagne has become fashionable among wine lovers. It is not a legal category but a type of producer within Champagne and French wine.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Grower Champagne → made in → 🗺️ French wine → kind of → 🗺️ Wines of Europe → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Champagne
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ French wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Champagne
Frequently asked questions
What does RM mean on a Champagne label?
Récoltant-manipulant, a grower who makes Champagne only from his own grapes. That is grower Champagne.
How is grower Champagne different from big-house Champagne?
Houses blend bought grapes from many villages for a consistent style. Growers use their own plots, so the wine reflects the place more.
Is grower Champagne cheaper?
Not always, but it often costs less than famous brands. It is harder to find because batches are small.
Similar
🍷 Prestige cuvée · 🍷 Rosé Champagne · 🍷 Vintage Champagne · 🍷 Non-vintage Champagne · 🍷 Ratafia de Champagne · 🍷 Kir royal
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.