Snacks and the City: A ‘Growing’ Trend in Champagne

While it’s true that few things can liven up a celebration like Champagne, Champagne’s wide range of styles makes it more versatile than you might think!

Simply put, Champagne is a French sparkling wine. Many people use the term generically to include all sparkling wine. However, Champagne can only come from the Champagne region of France, where it is produced under the rules of the appellation. All Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparking wine is Champagne.

The actual process of making Champagne is quite complex, time-consuming and highly regulated. As a result, Champagne can be expensive. I’ve got some tips to share for finding some budget-friendly options.

One option is to look for “grower” Champagne. These are smaller, independent Champagne houses as opposed to larger, market-dominant ones. A grower is someone who grows and cultivates his/her own grapes. The production of a grower’s champagne is on a smaller scale and as a result, the prices are generally lower.

In recent years, grower champagnes have become increasingly popular because they can offer consumers the element of surprise. The wines tend to showcase the work of the grower. They rarely taste the same each year and each product is different based on variables like the weather.

So how do you find a grower Champagne? The answer can typically be found on the bottle itself. In total, there are seven official producer types that are identifiable by two letters on a Champagne’s label. A grower Champagne will have the letters “RM” on the label, which stands for “Recoltant Manipulant”.

Keep in mind that grower Champagne is not necessarily better. Champagne is as much a matter of personal taste as anything else. Therefore, it’s important to make choices based on your own experiences.

One of my personal favorites is Dhondt-Grellet. Dhondt-Grellet is a small grower house in Flavigny. Eric Dhondt and Edith Grellet made the decision to stop selling their grapes to larger producers in 1986 in an effort to focus on producing their own wines. In more recent years, their son, Adrien Dhondt, has taken over their winemaking. In 2017, Adrien was awarded the vignerons of the year in the “Trophees Champenois a Epernay”, which is a very prestigious award.

Another favorite of mine is Franck Bonville. Bonville was a grape grower in Cote de Blancs until after WWII when they began producing their own wines with their fruit. It is a true family-run enterprise that is now in its third generation.

Both Dhondt-Grellet and Franck Bonville offer an exceptional value. Having said that, there are a number of excellent choices in today’s market, so I would encourage to shop around and find wines that fit your taste, style, and budget.