Get It Poppin'

True champagne aficionados know that the real stars are not the most famous houses, but the wine growers themselves

- Sarah Heller MW

In the effervescent world of champagne, some names have become so synonymous with luxury—thank you very much, Jay-Z—that one might wonder just what is so special about the grapes that go into the likes of Cristal, Dom Pérignon or Salon. Is each grape polished by hand; each vine watered only with Evian?

In fact, in the somewhat unusual ecosystem of the region of Champagne, the origin of most grapes is not really as proprietary as you might think (through Cristal is an exception). In fact, the big “houses”, or maisons or négociants if you prefer, are actually supported by a network of co-operatives and individual grape growers who, in some cases, might also make wines of their own. These belong to a category known as “grower estates”, a term that may not be well known, but one that’s worth learning about in order to recognise bottles that are actually produced by the same hands that tilled the soil.

For roughly two-and-a-half centuries, growers produced very little wine and Champagne houses grew very few grapes, a relationship that was largely symbiotic. Historically, most growers lacked the capital to invest in production and marketing, while the houses had capital, experience and relationships.

This began to shift in the mid20th century when more growers established their own estates. Officially known as Récoltant manipulant (identifiable by the letters RM on a label), these growers make champagne from grapes exclusively sourced from proprietary vineyards and facilities.