The term Grande Marque (Great Brand) or Grande Maison (Great House) commonly refers to the great and famous merchant houses in Champagne. All businesses which buy more than 5% of their grapes or juice, and market champagne, are designated Négociant Manipulant (Trader Producer), regardless of the size of the enterprise.
How do you identify a grower Champagne?
To find these gems, look for the initials “RM” on the bottle’s label, which stands for récoltant manipulant. (Alternatively, the bottle can be labeled with an NM, meaning negociant manipulant, which is the category that includes all the big Champagne houses.)
What is a Champagne house called?
Most of the major houses are members of the organisation Union de Maisons de Champagne (UMC), and are sometimes referred to as Grandes Marques.
How many Champagne houses are in Champagne?
There are around 260 Champagne houses representing over 70% of production and 90% of exports. The LMVH company owns Moet et Chandon (which includes Dam Perignon), Krug, Mercier, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot.
Who is the largest producer of Champagne?
Moët & Chandon
Moët & Chandon is the world’s largest Champagne producer, putting over 30 million bottles per year.
Is Ruinart a grower Champagne?
Ruinart and Key People Most of their grapes are purchased from other growers. The French regulators designate Ruinart as a Negociant Manipulant (a producer who buys grapes from growers). Ruinart produces champagne that is typically chardonnay dominated, silky, toasty and refined. Over 2.5 million bottles are produced.
How many Champagne growers are there?
There are more than 15,000 growers in Champagne and between them they own roughly 90% of the vineyards.
What is the most famous Champagne house?
1. Taittinger. The best of the big-name champagne houses takes you through endless chalk cellars quarried by the Romans. Now millions of bottles undergo secondary fermentation here, then age — as the first-class tour and tasting guides explain.
Who is the oldest Champagne house?
Ruinart
The Champagne house of Gosset was founded as a still wine producer in 1584 and is the oldest Champagne house still in operation today. Ruinart was founded in 1729 and was soon followed by Chanoine Frères (1730), Taittinger (1734), Moët et Chandon (1743) and Veuve Clicquot (1772).
