Look closely on the next bottle of Champagne you purchase and the odds are that one will find a tiny little inscription of NM, somewhere on the label. This stands for Negociant manipulant (buyer/producer) and indicates that the producer of this Champagne uses purchased grapes to create their wine. While not inherently bad, it does indicate that their wine is produced in such great quantities that they just can’t source enough of the truly best grapes to merit a designation of Grand Cru or Premier Cru (indicators that the grapes came from the top villages in the region).
On many of the grower Champagnes we carry, also known as Farmer Fizz, one will see the inscription of RM, printed tediously small. This means Recoltant Manipulant (grower/producer). Not only can these companies source the best materials, they grow them in the best villages in Champagne as determined by French law after centuries of research into the area. So, a true artisanal product lovingly crafted from ground to glass from a top location often for less than the top producers charge for their base products. This is what I consider a true value!
So, the long and the short of it is get on in to your sparkle central and stock up on the good stuff: