There’s more to Champagne than just bubbles and bling, says Edwin Dublin. Ahead of our Artisan Champagne offer, our London Shops Manager explores the artisanal, crafty side of the world’s most famous sparkling wine.

There has been a revolution in Champagne in recent decades. One that has affected how the wines from this region are perceived by critics, consumers and, indeed, by Champagne producers themselves. Several reasons account for this, but one important factor driving change is the increasing number and prominence of “artisan” Champagnes. But what do we mean by this term? How do these artisans relate to growers and other Champagne producers, and what has been their impact on the world of Champagne? 

What is Artisan Champagne? 

Let’s first consider the term “Grower Champagne”. By law, these are Champagnes created by small producers, from their own grapes and in volumes as low as tens of thousands of bottles per year. In contrast, the bigger Champagne Houses might make a few million or more bottles.  

These producers, often small family businesses, are allowed to source up to five percent of their production with grapes from other producers – either by buying them or swapping grapes of their own. This is useful if you want to make a rosé but only grow Chardonnay, for example. If you buy in more than this, you are classed as a négociant – which includes small or medium-sized producers like Champagne Marguet as well as those up to the size of Moët & Chandon, for example.  

“Artisan Champagne” has come into recent usage to include both growers and those smaller négociants who buy in more than five percent but in every other respect work like growers. Indeed, some growers have done this as the only way to expand in a region where land costs up to one million euros per hectare. It is not a legally defined term. 

The rise of the artisans 

Artisans and growers have become more prominent since the latter part of the 20th century. In 2009, a group of growers banded together to form an association (or salon), called Terres et Vins, to showcase their wines as an alternative to the big brands. This really announced their arrival on the world stage.  

There are now around 30 different salons. They host a range of events annually over the course of a week known as the Printemps de Champagne. I have witnessed the energy at these events myself for over a decade. It was here that I first encountered and tasted the Champagnes of Tarlant, Penet-Chardonnet and many others. A frequent sight during the Printemps is of artisans disgorging bottles by hand in the streets, outside two popular bars in Reims. Evidence indeed of the informal camaraderie and generosity of these people. 

In Champagne, artisans were espousing sustainable ways of working in their vineyards and wineries long before it became fashionable (and, increasingly, necessary). The use of organics, biodynamics and minimal chemical interventions here is not new: Fleury was the first Champagne producer to gain official biodynamic certification over 30 years ago, for example. This pushing of the envelope of production is what excites me most about these artisans and their wines. 

How artisans work 

These producers’ respect for terroir through working sustainably follows, in many ways, how things were before industrialisation. There are plenty of other examples of artisans looking to the past to create the wines of today and tomorrow.  

There’s the use of “minor” varieties like Arbanne, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Petit Meslier; old vines; moving away from steel tanks for fermentation back to oak and other containers like amphorae and egg-shaped vessels; wild rather than cultured yeasts; shorter lees-ageing; and drier styles. 

Such techniques mean artisans create Champagnes that truly speak of terroir, taken to its apogee through single-vineyard expressions. Discovering less-familiar villages and producers through the smells and tastes of their Champagnes is a true delight – often with food, too, to which many are well suited. 

I’ve been going to Champagne for two decades now, and it is fascinating to observe the impact that these artisans have had. Their sustainable approach is now embraced by increasing numbers of producers in the region; it has significantly reduced the level of chemical interventions in vineyards, too. Informative back labels, common with these Champagnes, have surely inspired larger producers to now share similar information that was previously hidden. Often lower in price than the more well-known brands, these wines have both refreshed and brought a new audience to Champagne.  

But for me, the greatest impact has been to help foster the notion of Champagnes as more than just bubbles and bling. These wines can speak of the place and people who make them – terroir, if you will. These are great wines that just happen to have bubbles. Long may artisans continue to thrive.

Our Artisan Champagne offer is now live; explore the full range available here.