Piazza Discepoli ~ Online Shop

The Piazza Discepoli Online Shop
Grower Champagnes

The Champagne region in France is dominated by a handful of brand names. These négoçiants and coopératives produce 80% of the total output in Champagne, yet they only own 12% of the vineyards. They may, by law, purchase as much of their grapes or pressed juice or already made sparking wine (known as sur-lattes) as they wish from all over the region. They bring to market a mass produced commodity—the most successful processed agricultural product in human history—a Champagne made in a “house style.” This is a sparkling wine made in a highly interventionist and formulaic way with swift pressing, extensive use of chaptalization, acidification, cultured yeast strains, enzymes, nitrogenous yeast nutrients and rapid temperature controlled fermentations. They produce many millions of cases annually.

By contrast, Small Growers, or “récoltant-manipulants,” may purchase only 5% of their fruit and handcraft their limited quantities of Champagne from individual villages and parcels where the inherent qualities of the vineyards imprint themselves into the wines. These winemakers are brave souls in an industrialized age: growing, crafting and bottling their own Champagne, offering it to the world as their life’s work. They deserve your support!

Discover a whole new world of bubbly offering diverse styles, the taste of terroir, artisanal winemaking, and, most significantly, excellent value. Cheers to Farmer Fizz!