The front and back label of a Champagne 🍾 are its business card and ID card. It gives it its visual identity and provides information about the producer, origin, and quality of the Champagne.
It's worth taking a closer look 👀 at this information.
With the correct interpretation of the label, you can find and enjoy 🥂 the perfect Champagne for any occasion. Don't be deterred by the detailed information; instead, use it to refine and improve your Champagne selection. With a little practice, you'll quickly become an expert 🤩 at deciphering Champagne labels!
The back labels of Champagne bottles are generally more informative, and a lot is changing legally. For example, in December 2023, the EU stipulated that Champagne
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and wine bottles produced from December 8, 2023, onwards must include a nutritional information table. This means, for instance, that additives, allergens, and calories must be displayed on the label
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. Many winemakers have opted for a QR code on the back label.
There is a great variety of labels. Many winemakers choose to have a back label so that the design and their name play the main role and stand above the mandatory information, which is usually found at the bottom of the back label in smaller print.
Even if information such as the composition 🍇 of the Champagne, the dosage, etc., is not mandatory, it is increasingly requested by consumers. Winemakers are, of course, listening 👂🏻 and are increasingly including this information on the back labels for our delight 🤩!
Mandatory information on a Champagne label:
- The name "Champagne"
- The brand: winemaker or Champagne house
- Name or company name of the producer, name of the municipality of the company's registered office, and the name "France"
- The type of Champagne (dosage = sugar added): Nature or Zero Dosage (< 3 g/l), Extra Brut (< 6 g/l), Brut (<12 g/l), Extra Dry (12 to 17 g/l), Sec or Trocken (17 to 32 g/l), Demi-sec or Halbtrocken (32 to 50 g/l), Doux (<50 g/l)
- Volume in l, cl, or ml and alcohol content in %
- The professional registration to which the company marketing the Champagne belongs, or the relevance of the producer:
RM = Récoltant Manipulant: Means that the winemaker cultivates their own vineyards, produces the wine themselves, and bottles and markets it themselves.
RC: Récoltant Coopérateur: Means that the winemaker cultivates their own vineyards, gives their harvest to the cooperative, which processes the grapes. The winemaker takes back the wine or bottles to market them themselves.
CM: Coopérateur Manipulant: The cooperative markets the harvest of its members under its own name.
NM: Négociant Manipulant: These are individuals or companies that buy grapes, wine, or Champagne bottles to further process and market them.
ND: Négociant Distributeur: Individuals or companies that buy finished Champagne bottles to market them under their own name (private labels).
MA: Marque d'Acheteur: These are individuals who have nothing to do with Champagne production and market their own brand, e.g., house brand of a restaurant or store.
- Mention of allergens (contient des sulfites = contains sulfites)
- Nutritional labeling is mandatory for all wines produced from December 8, 2023 (mostly with QR code)
- Notice or logo "Pregnant Woman," which informs about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy
- Mention "Produit en France" (Product of France)
- Identification of the batch either on the neck foil, the label, or engraved directly on the bottle
- The vintage or Millesime: If a year is indicated on a Champagne bottle, it is a vintage Champagne (Millésime). In this case, the Champagne is made exclusively from grapes of a specific year and must be explicitly stated on the cork and on the label or neck foil or on any other part of the packaging. Most Champagne wines are non-vintage Champagnes, meaning they are blended from different vintages. Therefore, no vintage can be stated. Ultimately, a vintage Champagne can only be released at least three years after the harvest.
Optional information:
- Grand Cru / 1er Cru: The "Échelle des crus" (Cru scale system), introduced in 1920, classifies communes into three classes based on soil type, location, climate, and partly grape varieties. In total, there are 320 AOC communes in Champagne, with 261 communes classified as "without Cru" (80-89%), 44 as "1er Cru" with 6,000 hectares of vineyards, and 17 communes as "Grand Cru" (100%) with 4,400 hectares of vineyards. Only Champagne made from grapes originating from Champagne communes classified as Premier Cru or Grand Cru, respectively, may bear the designation "Premier Cru" or "Grand Cru."
Various information about:
- the disgorgement date (Dégorgement): Wine lovers can know how long the Champagne has aged on the lees)
- the bottling date (Tirage)
- name of the plot: The winemaker can also indicate the name of the plot from which the Champagne originates
- the sensory characteristics
- food and wine pairings
- Environmental certifications:
- Organic Champagne: Organic Champagne wines fall under the Agriculture Biologique (AB) label, which only guarantees the biological production of grapes, but not the work in the cellar, which is not yet regulated in this area. There is also the Nature & Progrès label, which requires adherence to its specifications for winemaking and prior organic certification (Agriculture Biologique AB). For biodynamic Champagne wines, the Demeter and Biodyvin labels certify the approach.
- Viticulture Durable en Champagne (VDC) from the CIVC (Comité de Champagne) means "Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne" and guarantees the control of input use with the aim of respecting health and the environment, preserving and enhancing the terroir, biodiversity, and wine landscapes, responsible management of water, wastewater, by-products and waste, and reducing the industry's energy dependence and carbon footprint.
- Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) is the government's environmental certification and guarantees that agricultural practices applied throughout the operation preserve ecosystems and limit environmental impact (soil, water, biodiversity, etc.).
Possibly logos of:
- Champagnes de Vignerons: This initiative by the "Syndicat Général des Vignerons de la Champagne" (General Association of Champagne Winemakers) guarantees adherence to the specifications of the controlled designation of origin while offering Champagne
from a unique terroir and from family businesses with know-how passed down from generation to generation, quality where the vineyards are cultivated by the winemakers themselves and the wine is produced on their own estates or in winemaker associations.
- Vignerons indépendants de France (Independent Winemakers): The "Vigneron Indépendant" charter commits the winemaker. They cultivate their vines with respect for their terroir. They produce their wine themselves in their cellar. They sell their wine by sharing their passion with others.
