Champagne house

A champagne house produces champagne under its own label.

The correct French name for a Champagne house is (NM) Négociant Manipulant. Champagne houses are legally permitted to buy in grapes for their production. This happens to a considerable extent. While approx. 2/3 of the total turnover of ChampagneThe majority of the grapes for champagne production come from the champagne houses, which only own around 10% of the vineyards. Accordingly, champagne houses have to buy most of the grapes for their champagne production every year.

As champagne houses have to buy an average of 90% of grapes for their production every year, there has been an increasing quality problem for years. While more and more champagne growers are using their own grapes to produce champagne and bringing them out under their own label, the volume of buyable grapes is dwindling. Contrary to the trend of champagne winemakers to work with an ever smaller dosage, champagne houses have to add more and more sugar to their champagnes in order to maintain the flavour. Sugar is a strong flavour carrier and flavour enhancer, comparable to fat, behind which only average quality can be convincingly hidden.

The owner of one of the large, internationally active champagne houses is not usually an entrepreneur, but a large corporation whose product range simply includes the production of champagne.

Exceptions are some small champagne houses that have merely changed their legal status, but are still traditionally run by winegrowing families and only use their own grapes.

 

 

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