What Does ‘Grower Champagne’ Mean?

Grower Champagne can only be called a Grower Champagne if all the grapes used in producing your Champagne were grown on vines in your own vineyards/estate, rather then purchasing grapes from other third party vineyards.

Grower Champagne is referred to in French as Récoltant-Manipulant

Récoltant-Manipulant can also be identified as RM on a label.

Not all Champagne Houses have enough hectares of vines to meet their expected production, such as Moët et Chandon, Mumm and Veuve Clicquot, these houses have to purchase grapes from as many as 80 different vineyards and then blend all the grapes together to make their bottles of Champagne.

There are over 19,000 independent growers in the Champagne region, accounting for nearly 88% of vineyard land in the region; around 5,000 of these growers produce wine from their own grapes. Wikipedia.

Vineyards of Ay

In 2014 only %5 of Champagne imported into the United States was Grower Champagne

When Grower Champagnes are made, the winemakers tend to focus more on the terroir, using grapes from a single vineyard or vineyard.

Grower Champagnes have been described as “artisanal winemaking” with terroir being at the forefront for each wine

Champagne Route – Traditional Sparkling Wine Selection