Maison vs Grower-Champagne (RM/NM/CM/RC codes)

Until the mid 20th century almost all Champagne growers produced grapes which they then sold to the Champagne houses, which then made and marketed the wine. From the 1950s, the practice known in French as "manipulation" began to develop, as growers joined cooperatives that pressed and stored their grape yields; other growers began to make and market own-label Champagne, and they are called Récoltants manipulants. The two families organised separately: the houses founded the Syndicat du commerce des vins de Champagne in 1882, which has since become the Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC), and the growers' trade union, the Syndicat Général des Vignerons (SGV), was established in 1904. Since 1941, growers and houses have worked together within the Comité Champagne, a joint trade association that places both groups of stakeholders on an equal footing. On the label, the registration and code number issued by the Comité Champagne is preceded by two initials that indicate the category of producer. The labelling of wines under the Champagne appellation is the subject of a decree of 12 April 1999.

• Until the mid 20th century almost all growers sold their grapes to the houses, which made and marketed the wine
• From the 1950s growers began joining cooperatives that pressed and stored their yields, while others began making and marketing own-label Champagne as Récoltants manipulants
• The houses founded the Syndicat du commerce des vins de Champagne in 1882, now the UMC; the growers' SGV was established in 1904; both have worked within the Comité Champagne since 1941
• On the label, the Comité Champagne registration and code number is preceded by two initials that indicate the category of producer

The houses craft their Champagne themselves using grapes bought from the growers, or using clear, natural base wines, in addition to grapes sourced from their own vines if they have some, and choose the different crus that go into blending their cuvées in line with the house's signature style. Their expertise is tied to the selection of crus, storing reserve wines and making their cuvées, which they cellar to perpetuate the style of the house, with the cellar master blending wines from different vintages year on year. Non-vintage Brut, the most common Champagne, can be a blend of several years and is typically the wine whose style is perpetuated year on year by the brand. Size varies: fame is not necessarily synonymous with large volumes, and some houses stay extremely confidential, with very limited yields. The Union des Maisons de Champagne brings together 370 houses, while the Comité Champagne's 2025 key figures count 410 houses. In 2025 the houses shipped 191.9 million bottles and earned €4.4bn, 79% of Champagne's €5.7bn in revenues. Jancis Robinson describes the champagne business as having long been a delicate balance between the growers who grow the grapes and the big houses who buy them.

• Houses buy grapes from growers, or clear, natural base wines, alongside any grapes from their own vines
• The cellar master blends wines from different vintages year on year to perpetuate the house's signature style; storing reserve wines is part of the houses' expertise
• Not every house is large: some stay extremely confidential, with very limited yields
• 2025: the houses shipped 191.9 million of 266.1 million bottles and earned €4.4bn of €5.7bn in revenues

Nearly 90% of the Champagne area under vine is owned and tended by growers, whose numbers have grown to more than 16,000; the 2025 key figures count 16,460 growers. Most of the grapes harvested by Champagne growers are still sold to the houses. A grower who makes and markets own-label Champagne from grapes exclusively sourced from their own vineyards is a Récoltant Manipulant, and the way to spot one is to look at the label for "RM". In smaller wineries the roles of winegrower, cellar master and oenologist are assumed by one and the same person, the Grower. The growers' interests are defended by the Syndicat Général des Vignerons, which represents more than 99% of growers in Champagne. Jancis Robinson describes a fashion for growers' champagnes in champagne's major export markets, with consumers branching out into much smaller volume wines, often with more individuality, made by the growers themselves. Importers such as Terry Theise in the US and Vine Trail in the UK have made a speciality of selecting champagne growers.

• Nearly 90% of the area under vine is owned and tended by growers; 16,460 growers in 2025
• RM on the label means the grower makes and markets own-label Champagne from grapes exclusively sourced from their own vineyards
• In smaller wineries one person, the Grower, takes the roles of winegrower, cellar master and oenologist
• Jancis Robinson links the fashion for growers' champagnes to consumers seeking much smaller volume wines, often with more individuality

Cooperatives sit between the two models, offering an option halfway between the growers making their own Champagne and the houses. Récoltants coopérateurs share their grape yields with their cooperative, which presses the grapes, turns them into wine and organises the blends; the bottles are then either sold under the name of the cooperative or of a brand it has designed, or the grower retrieves the bottled wine after the second fermentation to market it as their own label. On the label, CM means the Champagne was sold directly by the cooperative, and RC means the grower personally marketed the bottle. The first Champagne cooperative was established in 1921, and the 2025 key figures count 120 cooperatives. The remaining codes cover other routes to market: SR stands for Société de Récoltants; an ND (Négociant Distributeur) buys finished bottles of Champagne and labels them in its own name on its own premises; and MA (Marque d'Acheteur) marks a brand owned by a third party who is not the producer, such as a supermarket own-brand. In Jancis Robinson's words, the code is "not a sure-fire guide to quality", and she cites a blind tasting of 64 champagnes organised by London brokers Fine & Rare Wines that demonstrated growers' champagne is not necessarily superior.

• CM: a wine co-op that markets Champagne made on co-op premises from members' grapes
• RC: a co-op grower who markets co-op-produced Champagne under their own label
• ND buys finished bottles and labels them in its own name; MA is a third-party brand such as a supermarket own-brand
• Jancis Robinson calls the code "not a sure-fire guide to quality"

Primary sources (Comité Champagne and INAO): https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/a-great-blended-wine/champagne-bottles-bottling, https://www.champagne.fr/en/champagne-frequently-asked-questions, https://www.champagne.fr/en/find-out-more/champagne-industry/the-champagne-growers, https://www.champagne.fr/en/find-out-more/champagne-industry/the-champagne-houses, https://www.champagne.fr/en/find-out-more/champagne-industry/the-champagne-cooperatives, https://www.champagne.fr/en/find-out-more/champagne-at-a-glance, https://www.champagne.fr/en/find-out-more/champagne-industry, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/a-great-blended-wine/champagne-and-its-people, https://www.champagne.fr/en/glossary, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/champagne-21054. Secondary sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/rm-champagne-no-shortcut-to-quality, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/cracking-champagne-codes. Last verified 2026-10-05