Winemaker Champagne

Colloquial term in France for a champagne without any legal significance. It is used in Champagne for the products of smaller companies, which are often considerably cheaper than the well-known brands, and is intended to refer to the "artisanal production by the winemaker himself". However, the production of these champagnes must follow exactly the same rules. This concerns both the grapes in connection with origin (Champagne) and grape varieties as well as the production according to the méthode champenoise.

Small producers

In the past, the approximately 15,000 smaller winegrowers in the Champagne region mostly delivered their grapes to the large Champagne houses. From the 1990s onwards, it became fashionable for small grape growers to produce their own champagne, usually in very small quantities. In contrast to the large, well-known brands, wood (large wooden barrel, barrique) is also used in the production of the base wines instead of the mostly usual stainless steel tanks, and the champagnes are usually dosed lower (liqueur de tirage). However, the production volume of the small wineries is only two to three percent.

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Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)

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Winemaker Champagne

Small producers

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