Recommendations?

[mrdutton]

Look for a hint on the Champagne bottle label.

There is a small code at the bottom of the label ususally followed by a series of numbers.

RM or R.M. - Recoltant-Manipulant - a grower/producer who vinifies, bottles and markets Champagne from grapes he grows. These Champagnes are usually worth seeking out.

MA or M.A. - Marque d'Acheteur - buyer's own brand. Owns no vineyards and makes no Champagne. Buys Champagne from growers, co-ops, or negociants and markets them under various labels. Usually drek, although some can be tolerated.

CM or C.M. - Cooperative-Manipulant - a co-op/producer. Approximately 11,000 growers pool their resources to produce and market their own Champagne brands. There are about 150 such firms. Usually decent to poor.

NM or N.M. - Negociant-Manipulant - a dealer/producer who may own vineyards but generally purchases most of its grapes. This producer then creates and markets Champagne under its own label. This category contains the majority of Champagne firms and represents the widest range of quality levels. All of the mass-market Champagnes are NM houses. They can be excellent to very poor in quality.

Those with the RM code are the ones to seek out and try.