Top 10 biggest Champagne brands 2016

We bring you all the latest stats and facts about the world’s 10 biggest Champagne brands, ranked according to global volume sales.

Over the following pages is the definitive guide to the best-selling Champagne brands in the world, which we’ve ordered according to volume sales during the course of 2015.

We have placed a particular focus on the components of these major Brut Non Vintage blends, with information on the dosages, lees ageing times and proportion of reserve wines in today’s releases of the top 10 biggest Champagnes.

We have also brought you news on the latest product launches and marketing initiatives from each of the houses behind these big-hitting brands.

Champagne’s best sellers aren’t just focused on boosting sales volumes, and we’ve looked at quality improvements over recent years, motivated by the need to compete with each other, as well as sparkling wines from outside Champagne.

To improve the taste, Champagne’s major producers are focused on augmenting the quality of the grapes used to make their big-volume cuvées, as well as updating the winemaking methods. Bringing a notable increase in the complexity and depth of flavour has been the decision by these leading producers to increase the amount of reserve wine employed in their blends, along with a move to extend lees-ageing times – which brings more toasty flavours.

All the top 10 names have also lowered the amount of sugar in their blends since the start of the century, with an average drop in dosages of 2.8 g/l over the last 15 years – a measurable reflection of an increase in Brut Non Vintage quality resulting from harvesting riper, cleaner grapes, as well as producing richer, more complex blends through, as noted above, rising amounts of reserve wine and longer lees ageing times.

The following houses also seem to be adding to more high-value products to their range, probably because the majority of price competition in supermarkets centres on the entry-level Brut Non-Vintage labels. As a result, you’ll notice the launch of more upmarket expressions, whether they are sweeter Champagnes for consuming in bars and clubs, or more expensive versions for high-spending consumers, such as Moêt’s new range-topping variant with a €450 price tag.

A full analysis of each major brand in the top 10 can be seen over the following pages, while, for those not familiar with the Champagne winemaking terms used above and throughout this list, please see the definitions below:

• The dosage is a final addition of wine and sugar syrup that determines the residual sugar of Champagne.
• Reserve wine is an aged still wine used for blending with still wine of the youngest vintage before the combination of wines undergoes secondary fermentation in bottle to become non-vintage Champagne.
• Lees ageing refers to the practice of leaving the wine in contact with the dead yeast cells formed after the second fermentation in bottle. The interaction of the wine with its lees is called autolysis, and brings a creaminess to the wine, along with bready aromas and reduced astringency, depending on the time a wine spends in contact with the lees. It’s widely believed that four years contact is necessary for the bready aroma to be clearly detectable.
• MLF refers to malolactic conversion or fermentation. This is a process after the primary fermentation whereby malic acid present in the grape must, which has a very sharp taste, is converted to milder lactic acid by the successive action of various bacteria of the genera Oenococcus, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. In modern stainless steel fermentation vessels it can be started by inoculating the wine with a bacterial culture, and stopped by fining, filtration or cold stabilisation. Some Champagne houses block the conversion, notably Gosset, Lanson, Alfred Gratien, Krug and Louis Roederer (although the last may allow a proportion to go through MLF, depending on vintage conditions).
• Brut Non-Vintage (BNV) is Champagne made from a blend of harvests with a dosage of less than 12 grams per litre (g/l) of residual sugar, although there is a 3g/l tolerance.

10. Canard-Duchêne

Canard-Duchêne sells 4.1 million bottles annually

Label: Canard-Duchêne Authentic Brut Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 45% Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier 35%, Chardonnay 20%
Reserve wine (%): 25-29
Lees ageing (months): 23-26
Dosage (g/l): 9-9.9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £25
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 4.1 million bottles
Cellar master: Laurent Fédou

Our first brand is a big volume Champagne that has enjoyed a quality uplift since a change in ownership. Acquired from LVMH by Groupe Thiénot in 2003, the new owner has invested in improving the wines and refreshing the brand’s packaging and marketing, boosted by skilful management from Alexis Petit-Gats, who has risen to the role of MD from regional sales director in 2003.

As part of the brand’s rebirth, Groupe Thiénot has renovated Canard-Duchêne’s historic winery, working with Reims-based architect Nicolas Thiénot, who is the brother of Alain Thiénot, president of the group.

The first stages of the renovation began in 2011 with the restoration of the production facilities which are situated on Rue de Mailly in the village of Ludes, within the Montagne de Reims.

As previously reported by the drinks business, Canard-Duchêne invested over €1 million to integrate its winery into the landscape using wooden cladding and trees.

The project was inspired by Canard-Duchêne’s environmentally-sensitive positioning, which has been spearheaded by the brand’s Authentic Green organic Champagne, launched in 2010.

In 2014 Canard-Duchêne launched Smooth Rosé for ski resorts

More recently, the Champagne house has restored its old cellars from the Ludes Château, which were destroyed during both World Wars, and opened an impressive visitor centre, which takes tourists through the brand’s history, as well as the Champagne making process.

Dug out by hand in the 19th Century, the cellars extend over six kilometres and four levels, between 12 and 38 metres deep.

In 2014, Canard-Duchêne launched Smooth Rosé: a new Sec pink Champagne for lounge bars and ski resorts that’s housed in a white bottle, with a dosage of 22 grams per litre.

Canard-Duchêne has instigated a number of new launches in the past year, including the introduction of a jeroboam of its prestige cuvée, Charles VII; a 2008 vintage Champagne; new packaging across its range, as well as an Authentic Brut limited edition in a gold bottle.

Along with Duval Leroy, Canard-Duchêne produces Champagne’s largest organic label, bottling a certified ‘AB’ (Agriculture Biologique) product under the brand “Authentic Green”, which currently accounts for around 70,000 bottles each year and, from this year, comes with a lower ‘Extra Brut’ dosage.

Managing director of the house, Alexis Petit-Gats, told db at the start of this year that Canard-Duchêne had grown 8% since 2014 to hit 4.1m bottles in annual sales for 2015, which, he said, was a new high and puts the brand closer to its aim of reaching 5m bottles by 2020.

Brand owner: Thiénot Bordeaux Champagne
Head office: 1 rue Edmond Canard, 51500 Ludes France
Tel: +33 326 611 096
Website: www.canard-duchene.fr
Product range: Authentic Brut, Authentic Demi-Sec, Authentic Rosé, Authentic Vintage, Cuvée Léonie Green, Cuvée Léonie, Cuvée Léonie Rosé, Charles VII Brut, Charles VII Rosé, Charles VII Blanc de Blancs, Charles VII Blanc de Noirs, Charles VII Smooth Rosé

9. Lanson

Lanson sells 4.2 million bottles annually

Label: Lanson Black Label Brut Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier
Reserve wine (%): 30 (minimum)
Lees ageing (months): 36 (minimum)
Dosage (g/l): 8
MLF: Predominantly blocked
Price (RRP, UK): £30
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 4.2 million bottles
Cellar master: Hervé Dantan

Lanson has undoubtedly enjoyed a more golden era since the brand was acquired by the family-owned Boizel Chanoine Group, bringing it under the control of Philippe Baijot, and creating a new company: Lanson-BCC.

The Lanson message has been firmly focused on the fact its Champagnes don’t go through the malo-lactic fermentation, which sees malic acid present in the grape must, which has a sharp taste, converted to milder lactic acid by the successive action of various bacteria.

As a result, Lanson’s best selling cuvée: the Black Label Brut NV, has a natural freshness and is heralded for its long ageing capacity, something the house began to emphasise strongly with the launch of the Lanson Extra Age in 2009 – a multi-vintage blend which spends an additional three years ageing on its lees in Lanson’s cellars (for instance, Lanson Extra Age Brut currently comprises a blend of wines from the 2002, 2004, and 2005 harvests).

Lanson launched Extra Age in 2009 – a multi-vintage blend which spends an additional three years ageing on its lees

The Black Label has undergone some evolutions since Lanson’s acquisition by BCC, most notably a longer period spent ageing on its lees, as well as a slight drop in dosage.

However, further quality evolutions will be seen in future releases because in 2014 Lanson fermented its first wines in a new winery following a €15 million investment. The updated facility includes smaller vats for more precision in the blending process, as well as 23 large oak vats to bring an extra “creaminess” to the Black Label, according to the cellar master, Hervé Dantan.

Among other quality evolutions for Lanson Brut NV, Dantan told db would be upping the period of time the Champagne rests post-disgorgement to a minimum of six months, around double the standard time for a big brand Brut NV.

Surprisingly, he also said that he would now allow a small proportion of the reserve wines for Lanson’s Black Label to undergo malolactic fermentation (MLF), despite the brand’s long history of blocking the conversion. This, he said, was to bring a “roundness” to the Champagne, although he stressed that no more than 5% of the blend would ever go through the MLF, and the house would retain its naturally fresh style.

It should also be noted that Lanson Black Label is the only Brut NV among the top 10 biggest sellers to print disgorgement dates on its back labels.

New products from the brand include a special version of the Black Label Brut NV for the UK on-trade called Lanson Père et Fils. The Champagne has a different look, and does away with the gold elements to the packaging found on the Black Label, while the new product spends a year longer on the lees and comes with a dosage of 6g/l, at least 3g/l lower than the Black Label.

Furthermore, the first vintage of Clos de Lanson was unveiled in April this year using fruit from the 2006 harvest from a one-hectare plot in the centre of Reims – the only vineyard left within the walls of the city.

It was the first single vineyard Champagne from the house, and it is an addition to the range instigated by Philippe Baijot, current CEO and president of Champagne Lanson, after its acquisition by Boizel Chanoine Champagne Group in 2006.

Lanson does not produce an Extra Brut or Brut Nature Champagne, however, similar to Moët, which has the sweeter Ice Impérial housed in a white bottle, Lanson unveiled a sec style White Label with a 32 g/l dosage packaged in a white bottle back in 2013.

Brand owner: Lanson-BCC
Head office: 66 Rue de Courlancy, 51573, Reims Cedex 2, France
Tel: +33 326 785 050
Website: lanson.fr
Product range: Lanson Black Label Brut NV, Lanson Rose Label Brut Rosé NV, Lanson Père et Fils, Lanson Gold Label Brut Vintage, Lanson Ivory Label Demi-Sec, Lanson White Label Sec, Lanson Extra Age Brut NV, Lanson Extra Age Rosé Brut NV, Noble Cuvée Blanc de Blancs, Noble Cuvée Brut, Nobel Cuvée Rosé Brut, Clos de Lanson

8. Piper-Heidsieck

Piper-Heidsieck sells 4.3 million bottles annually

Label: Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, 15% Chardonnay
Reserve wine (%): 10–14
Lees ageing (months): 27-30
Dosage (g/l): 10-10.9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £25
Size (approx. annual sales, 2014): 4.3m bottles
Cellar master: Régis Camus

Benefitting from the skill of cellar master Régis Camus, Piper-Heidsieck winemaker since 1994, this house is a consistent high-performer in competitions, although its brand strength had suffered somewhat from past management, particularly under former owner Rémy Cointreau.

However, in 2011 the brand was acquired (along with sister house Charles Heidsieck) by EPI, a group owned by France’s Descours family, who placed former Veuve Clicquot chief executive Cécile Bonnefond in charge of both the Heidsieck brands.

Since then, Piper-Heidsieck has pulled back from much of the big price discounting in supermarkets which seemed to plague the brand, and as a result, the house did face an initial fall in sales, although it is now growing again.

Then, in July 2015, Bonnefond passed on the baton for rebuilding the house to Damien Lafaurie, who assured the drinks business shortly afterwards that he is focused on augmenting the brand’s sales and image.

Piper-Heidsieck unveiled its first prestige cuvée rosé in October this year – the Rare Rosé Millésime 2007

In particular, he said that he aims to increase the size of the brand to 5m bottles by 2020. Then, in an interview published in the December issue of the drinks business, Lafaurie said that he was going to take on Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot.

“Piper is one of the few truly global brands with a tangible market presence worldwide – we want to become a genuine alternative to Vueve and Moët,” he said.

“They are such strong brands but they’re a safe choice – we want to be the Champagne brand people choose for other reasons than being a safe bet,” he added.

To achieve this, Piper will undergo a dramatic makeover next year to give it a more premium feel, with everything from the bottles to the labels benefitting from redesigns.

As part of the redesign, the house’s flagship fizz, Cuvée Brut, will move from green to brown glass bottles; a change already adopted by Louis Roederer because brown glass is better at filtering out damaging ultraviolet light.

Brand owner: EPI
Head office: 12 Allée du Vignoble, 51100, Reims, France
Tel: +33 326 84 43 00
Website: piper-heidsieck.com
President: Damien Lafaurie
Product range: Cuvée Brut, Rosé Sauvage, Vintage, Rare, Rare Rosé, Cuvée Sublime

7. Pommery

Pommery sells 4.38 million bottles annually

Label: Pommery Brut Royal Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir, and 33% Pinot Meunier
Reserve wine (%): 27-30
Lees ageing (months): 27-30
Dosage (g/l): 9-9.9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £40
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 4.38 million bottles
Cellar master: Thierry Gasco

Flagship label in Vranken Pommery Monopole, Champagne Pommery benefits from access to the company’s best grapes from the group’s 259 hectares of vineyard, supplemented by contracts with growers across 1,800ha in the appellation.

The group is currently placing greater emphasis on increasing sales of the more profitable Pommery brand by attempting to augment demand in growing Champagne markets such as the US, Japan and Australia.

Although Pommery is notable for its colourful packaging, particular is 200ml Pop formats, the Champagne quality is always commended, helped by the relatively high proportion of reserve wine, and long lees-ageing times, but in particular, the experienced cellar master Thierry Gasco, who has looked after Pommery’s winemaking for over 23 years.

As keen followers of Pommery will attest, its top-end label called Cuvée Louise is consistently excellent, and earlier this year the house launched a zero dosage Cuvée Louise with a transparent label to signal that the fizz is “naked” (see image), according to cellar master Thierry Gasco.

As previously reported by the drinks business, the new sugarless Champagne hails from the 2004 vintage and has been called Cuvée Louise ‘Nature’. It was launched alongside the usual Cuvée Louise release, which is an extra brut, with 5 g/l of sugar.

This year Pommery launched Cuvée Louise ‘Nature’ with no dosage

The Brut Nature Champagne was the idea of Pommery owner since 2002, Paul-François Vranken, who wanted to pay tribute to the maison’s innovative past: back in 1874, Madame Louise Pommery introduced the first commercially successful Brut Champagne, called Pommery Nature.

Since 2011, Pommery has made a single vineyard Champagne called Le Clos de Pompadour, and the brand is currently selling the 2003 vintage.

The inaugural Clos de Pompadour was released in 2011 using grapes from the 2002 vintage, although the first release was classified as a non-vintage.

Like Lanson with its Clos de Lanson, the project to isolate wine from the Pommery clos and produce a special label began in 2002, following the purchase of the house from LVMH in April that year by Paul-François Vranken.

Brand owner: Vranken Pommery Monopole
Head office: 5 Place du Général Gouraud, 51100, Reims, France
Tel: +33 326 61 62 63
Website: pommery.fr
Product Range: Brut NV, Brut Rosé, Brut Apanage, Apanage Rosé, POP, Grand Cru Vintage, Dry Elixir, Springtime Rosé, Summertime Blanc de Blancs, Falltime Extra Dry, Wintertime Blanc de Noirs, Cuvée Louise, Cuvée Louise Rosé, Cuvée Louise ‘Nature’, Le Clos de Pompadour

6. Taittinger

Taittinger sells 5.5 million bottles annually

Label: Taittinger Brut Réserve Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier
Reserve wine (%): 20-24
Lees ageing (months): 35-38
Dosage (g/l): 9-9.9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £35
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 5.5 million bottles
Cellar master: Loic Dupont

Taken back under full family control in 2006, Taittinger has benefitted from the charm of its chairman Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, and consistent quality of its wines, made by Loic Dupont, who has headed winemaking since 2000.

The defining character of its Brut Non-Vintage, and indeed the house as a whole, is the high proportion of first-rate Chardonnay in its blends, lending the fizz a freshness, but also, importantly, an appealing toastiness as the wines age – even though this house eschews the use of oak.

Assisting the house in its quality endeavour is Taittinger’s extensive landholding: it owns 288 hectares of vineyards in the appellation, making it the second largest landowner in Champagne after Moët Hennessy.

Tightener launched the 2006 vintage of its prestige cuvée, Comtes de Champagne, this year

The house has been increasing sales of its Brut NV, selling 5.5m bottles in 2015 (458,000 cases) and aims to reach the 6m mark in the near future.

The brand’s most recent high profile move was the decision to become the official Fifa Champagne, which ensured its widespread presence at corporate events during 2014’s World Cup in Brazil. This also prompted Taittinger’s decision to release a limited edition Brut NV label and gift box featuring hologramatic footballs, and the house sold 250,000 bottles of the specially packaged Champagne in 2014.

Proving particularly successful in the last five years has been Taittinger’s prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne. Demand, above all in the UK, started to pick up with the launch of the 2000 vintage, and then accelerated when the house released the 2002 – the appellation’s best-rated vintage of the last decade (along with 2008) – although just 60,000 bottles of the prestige cuvée were made from the 2002 harvest, fewer than half the standard production: 140,000 bottles is the norm.

Taittinger has since release a 2004 and 2005 Comtes, and this year the house released the Comtes 2006, which Taittinger promoted as the first vintage of its prestige cuvée produced under the family’s ownership.

Unlike Laurent-Perrier, which is Champagne’s fifth biggest brand, Taittinger has decided not to release a zero or very low dosage Champagne, but, like Moët and Lanson, has decided to augment its range with a sweeter Champagne: Taittinger launched Nocturne NV sec (17g/l) in 2013 for the nightclub market.

Brand owner: Taittinger CCVC
Head office: 9 Place Saint-Nicaise, 51100, Reims, France
Tel: +33 326 85 84 20
Website: taittinger.com
Product range: Brut NV, Rosé NV, Folies de la Marquetterie, Prélude, Nocturne Sec, Vintage, Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, Comtes de Champagne Rosé, Taittinger Collection

5. Laurent-Perrier

Laurent-Perrier sells 7.26 million bottles annually

Label: Laurent-Perrier Brut Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 50% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier
Reserve wine (%): 15-19
Lees ageing (months): 43+
Dosage (g/l): 10-10.9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £38
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 7.26 million bottles
Cellar master: Michel Fauconnet

Although most famous for its rosé, which comes beautifully packaged in a 16th century-style bottle, Laurent-Perrier’s best seller is the brand’s Brut NV.

With a high Chardonnay content, along with relatively low proportion of reserve wines – which generally bring richness to the blend – this Champagne is all about lightness and freshness.

However, with over 43 months on the lees, and a dosage over 10 g/l, the Champagne is toasty and not too austere.

Of course, for those looking for an extremely dry experience, Laurent-Perrier has its zero dosage Ultra Brut variant, which could be credited for kick-starting an interest in bone dry fizz when it was launched in 1981 as a tribute to its sugarless Champagne made a century earlier (in 1889 Laurent-Perrier introduced its Grand Vin sans Sucre, the first commercial zero dosage Champagne, made for the British).

Laurent-Perrier is most famous for its rosé, which comes beautifully packaged in a 16th century-style bottle

Although Laurent-Perrier is quite a bit smaller in volume sales than the four-biggest Champagne brands, it is the largest family-owned house in France and currently headed by Alexandra and and Stephanie, daughters of the legendary Bernard de Nonancourt, who died in 2010 aged 90.

However, in October this year, rumours in Paris financial circles suggested that the de Nonancourt family, which holds about 60% of Laurent-Perrier, based at Tours-sur-Marne, is sounding out the market about a possible sale or dilution of its stake.

The brand has been growing strongly, rising by more than 10% in volume sales during the financial year 2015 to 2016.

Brand owner: Group Laurent-Perrier
Head office: Domaine Laurent-Perrier, 51150, Tours-sur-Marne, France
Tel: + 33 326 58 91 22
Website: laurent-perrier.com
Product range: Brut NV, Rosé NV, Ultra-Brut, Demi-Sec, Brut Millésimé, Grand Siècle, Les Réserves Grand Siècle, Alexandra Rosé

4. G.H. Mumm

Mumm sells 7.55 million bottles annually

Label: G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 45% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Meunier
Reserve wine (%): 30-34
Lees ageing (months): 23-26
Dosage (g/l): 8-8.9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £30
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 7.55 million bottles
Cellar master: Didier Mariotti

Famous for its red stripe and regular appearances on Formula 1 podiums, G.H. Mumm sits alongside Perrier-Jouët in the Pernod Ricard Champagne portfolio.

Like Moët, Mumm has brought down its dosage to 9 g/l following a focus on quality improvements for its Brut NV, led by cellar master Didier Mariotti, who joined the house in 2003 and became cellar master in 2006 (he was promoted after former Mumm chef de caves Dominique Demarville moved to Veuve Clicquot).

Mariotti’s changes to the Cordon Rouge have, in part, followed an investment from Pernod Ricard in a new winery for Mumm, which was completed at the end of 2008.

In particular, the investment has enabled Mumm to keep its reserve wines in better conditions, ensuring they are fresher for longer and, as a result, Mumm has raised the levels of reserve in its Cordon Rouge from 20-25% to 30-35% in the last seven years – a development which “brings more dry fruit and toasted flavours,” according to Mariotti.

Furthermore, this year Mumm has installed 10 wooden foudres at 110hl each, which will be used to age future reserve wines for the Cordon Rouge.

“The wines will be aged in the wood for one year not for the flavour of oak, but for the different type of ageing compared to stainless steel: with the foudres you have much more exchange with oxygen from outside, so you get more evolution,” Mariotti told db last year.

Last year Mumm launched a limited edition bottle to celebrate its association with Formula E

Even though the wood-aged reserve wines will only form 1% of the blend in the Mumm Cordon Rouge, Mariotti said that making the cuvée was like “cooking a dish – you improve it with small changes like adding spices”.

Recent Mumm launches include a limited edition Grand Cordon bottle to celebrate its association with Formula E, having moved its sponsorship to the sport from Formula 1 in 2015. The Cordon Rouge was repackaged back in 2013.

Niche, but excellent Champagnes in the range include the Mumm de Cramant blanc de blancs and Mumm de Verzenay blanc de noirs – the latter launched in 2012, initially just for the French market.

Champagne GH Mumm, which is owned by Pernod Ricard, has ambitious volume plans. Managing director of the house, Michel Letter, told db earlier this year that he wants to “triple the turnover in 10 years, and double the volume.”

Brand owner: Pernod Ricard
Head office: 29 rue de Champ des Mars, 51053 Reims, France
Tel: +33 326 49 59 69
Website: www.mumm.com
Product range: Brut Cordon Rouge, Brut Rosé, Demi-Sec, Brut Millésimé, Mumm de Cramant Blanc de Blancs, Mumm de Verzenay Blanc de Noirs, Brut Séléction, Cuvée R. Lalou

3. Nicolas Feuillatte

Nicolas Feuillatte sells 10.8 million bottles annually

Label: Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve
Blend (approx.): 40% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier, 25% Chardonnay
Reserve wine (%): 25-29
Lees ageing (months): 35-38
Dosage (g/l): 9-9.9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £25
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 10.8 million bottles
Cellar master: David Hénault
Director of winemaking: Guillaume Roffiaen

Although third largest brand worldwide, in France, Nicolas Feuillatte is the best selling Champagne, with a strong presence in the country’s major grocers in particular.

Made at, and owned by, the cooperative The Centre Vinicole Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte (CV-CNF), the brand has access to 2,250 hectares of grapes from 5,000 growers at a winery which can ferment as much as 300,000 hectolitres each year.

Although a relatively young brand by Champagne standards – it was founded in 1976 – the label has a strong following for its contemporary packaging, good value blends, and tie-ups with the arts.

In June this year Nicolas Feuillatte developed a new ad campaign to mark its 40^th anniversary. Called Enchanter La Vie – meaning enchanting life – it is designed to celebrate “the mystery and the magic of Champagne”, and reveal “the beauty of the here and now”.

Also this year, Nicolas Feuillatte began construction of a new visitor centre and head office at its base just outside Epernay. These facilities, along with a new tank room, are planned to open in Spring 2017.

In June this year Nicolas Feuillatte developed a new ad campaign to mark its 40th anniversary

There is evidently a strong focus on quality at present with Guillaume Roffiaen, recruited from Champagne Drappier in 2014 to take up a new role as director of winemaking, while a new managing director, Julie Campos, was appointed from within the cooperative at the start of 2015, and has been tasked with isolating the brand’s core strengths before augmenting them through marketing.

Nicolas Feuillatte’s best selling blend is its Brut NV, accounting for 80% of sales, but it does appear to have a large number of lines, although Campos has assured db that the house will be rationalising its range.

Having said that, in late 2014 it added a further product to the line-up. Called D’Luscious, it’s a demi-sec rosé with around 37 g/l dosage designed for nightclubs in the USA, Africa and China.

Nicolas Feuillatte’s vintage and prestige cuvée offer particular value for money for those looking to experience richer and more complex Champagne styles without spending a fortune.

Brand owner: Centre Vinicole–Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Head office: Chouilly, BP 210, 51206, Epernay Cedex, France
Tel: +33 326 59 55 50
Website: www.nicolas-feuillatte.com
Product range: Brut NV, Brut Réserve, Brut Grande Réserve, Demi Sec, Rosé NV, D’Luscious Rosé NV, Brut Vintage, Brut Extrem’, Cuvée Spéciale Vintage, Brut Chardonnay Vintage, One Four Brut, One Four Rosé, Cuvée 225 Brut Vintage, Cuvée 225 Rosé Vintage, Grand Cru Chadonnay Vintage, Grand Cru Pinot Noir Vintage, Palmes d’Or Brut Vintage, Palmes d’Or Rosé Vintage

2. Veuve Clicquot

Veuve Clicquot sells 19 million bottles annually

Label: Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 50% Pinot Noir; 20% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay
Reserve wine (%): 30-34
Lees ageing (months): 31-34
Dosage (g/l): 9-9.9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £40
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 19 million bottles
Cellar master: Dominique Demarville

The world’s second biggest Champagne brand sits alongside Moët in the LVHM portfolio, and, like the number one, Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label has undergone quality improvements over the last decade – instigated by star winemaker Dominique Demarville, who joined the brand in 2006 and became chef de caves in 2009.

Similar to Moët, Veuve Clicquot has seen its dosage fall by a few grams per litre over the last decade, but has retained its relatively opulent style, a function of the high Pinot Noir content in the blend, as well as high proportion of reserve wine, and more than 30 months spent ageing on its lees in the brand’s cellars.

In June 2015, Veuve Clicquot launched a Champagne designed specifically for mixing in cocktails called Rich

Demarville’s urge to improve the Champagne yet further has seen him increase the emphasis on sustainable viticultural practices, an approach which is also in line with Clicquot’s green positioning – indeed, it is the first brand to use biodegradable gift boxes made from its own grapes.

In the cellar, Demarville has employed a touch of oak, using, since 2008, large wooden casks for fermenting and ageing around 10% of the wines used in the Yellow Label, while also attempting to reduce the quantity of sulphur dioxide employed during winemaking.

Also like Moët, Veuve Clicquot has resisted the demand by some in the trade for a drier, or even bone dry Champagne, but does release very old vintages from its impressive collection with very low dosages under the tag Cave Privée.

Meanwhile, in June 2015, Veuve Clicquot launched a Champagne designed specifically for mixing in cocktails, called “Rich”. With more than 50 g/l of sugar, it has been blended to drink with ice cubes and fruits such as lime and strawberry.

Exactly one year later, this label was joined by a rosé variant.

Brand owner: Moët Hennessy
Head office: 13 Rue Albert Thomas, 51100, Reims, France
Tel: +33 26 89 53 90
Website: veuve-clicquot.com
Product range: Brut Yellow Label, Rosé, Demi-Sec, Rich, Vintage, Rosé Vintage, Cave Privée, La Grande Dame

1. Moët & Chandon

Moët & Chandon sells 30 million bottles annually, which represents almost 10% of all Champagne consumed worldwide

Label: Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial Non-Vintage
Blend (approx.): 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay
Reserve wine (%): 25-29
Lees ageing (months): 23-26
Dosage (g/l): 9
MLF: Full
Price (RRP, UK): £30
Size (approx. annual sales, 2015): 30 million bottles
Cellar master: Benoît Gouez

It’s widely acknowledged that the quality of the world’s biggest Champagne brand – and flagship wine in the LVMH stable – has improved since Benoit Gouez became cellar master in 2005.

Within the last decade the category leader has benefitted from updated winemaking facilities, an increased proportion of reserve wine, better viticultural management and, as a result, riper fruit and richer, cleaner wines, which, in turn, have allowed for a lower dosage – Moët dropped to 9g/l in 2012, having previously hovered around 12 g/l.

The style has also been standardised globally, and, in particular, the White Star variant (an Extra Dry Champagne with 20g/l) for the US market was axed in 2012, ensuring the Americans receive the same style of Brut NV as the rest of the world.

Moët introduced the Ice Impérial with a 45 g/l dosage in 2012

During this period, the famous Champagne has also shifted its celebrity allegiance from actress Scarlett Johansson to tennis star Roger Federer – who remains the global Moët brand ambassador today.

The brand has not been tempted to release a drier variant of Moët and the house has no Extra Brut (6 g/l or below) or Brut Nature (0 g/l) Champagne, but, in the same year it discontinued its White Star, Moët introduced the Ice Impérial, which, with a 45 g/l dosage, is a much sweeter version designed for serving over ice.

This was joined in May this year by the Moët Ice Impérial Rosé with a slightly lower dosage of 38 g/l.

Before this, however, Moët made the headlines in late 2015 with the release 15,000 bottles of a new multi-vintage prestige cuvée Champagne priced at €450 a bottle.

Named ‘MCIII’ after the initials of the house and the three-layer blending process, the top-end sparkler has been in the pipeline for the last 15 years.

Just over 37% of the blend comes from the 2003 vintage, equally balanced between Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Chardonnay from Chouilly and Cramant aged in stainless steel.

A further third is made up of reserve wines from 2002, 2000 and 1998 vinified in tanks and aged between five to seven months in 5,000-litre oak foudres. The remainder of the blend was formed by uncorking bottles of the 1999, 1998 and 1993 vintages of Moët Grand Vintage Collection disgorged from the cellar.

At the end of last year Moët launched a new advertising campaign called The Now. The film follows Moët’s social media campaign called #MoëtMoments, which was launched two years ago to celebrate memorable Champagne occasions. Among the scenes in the video are swimmers kissing underwater, and Moët brand ambassador and tennis star Roger Federer playing ping pong. The video then concludes with the words ‘Open The Now’ flashing in front of a breaking wave.

Finally, it’s worth noting that sales of Moët & Chandon’s alone account for almost 10% of the entire Champagne region – in other words, one in 10 bottles of Champagne consumed worldwide is from this single house.

Brand owner: Moët Hennessy
Head office: 20 Avenue de Champagne, 51200, Epernay, France
Tel: +33 03 26 51 20 20
Website: moet.com
Product range: Moët & Chandon, Impérial NV, Rosé NV, Ice Impérial (blanc & rosé), Grand Vintage Blanc, Grand Vintage Rosé, MCIII