Reading the champagne label: what do RM, NM and dosage mean?
Short answer: on a champagne label you find the type (for example Brut or Blanc de Blancs), the dosage, the serving temperature and a small producer code that reveals who made the champagne: RM stands for a grower (récoltant-manipulant) who processes his own grapes, NM for a trading house. Many of our champagnes come from small RM growers. You can read who they are on our growers page.
You may never have noticed it, but you can often find a wealth of information on the champagne label. How the champagne is produced, which type of champagne is in the bottle, how much it has been sweetened and at what temperature you can best drink it. The producer decides for himself what to put on the label, although some information is mandatory (red circle).
A bottle can have a label on the front and the back. In that case the front often determines the look and feel of the bottle and gives you a first impression, while the back carries all the mandatory information. Some producers choose just one label, which then has to hold all the information.
Below you can see the back of a champagne label. The information marked with numbers in red circles is mandatory on the label. So it may appear on either the front or the back.
- 1. Name of the producer, the champagne house or the brand. The word 'Champagne' must always appear clearly on the bottle.
- 2. General story about this champagne, the brand or the producer. For example information about the producer, the grapes, the vines or vinification methods
- 3. The specific characteristics of this cuvée. A Prestige is the 'most prestigious' champagne of the house. This is also where Millésime (vintage), Rosé, Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs may appear, for example.
- 4. The dosage category. Read more about dosage in champagne here.
- 5. Classification of the vineyards. Within Champagne there are the categories Grand Cru, Premier Cru and the ordinary villages.
- 6. The year, or in most cases the years, in which the grapes were harvested.
- 7. The bottling date. This is the date on which the still wine is put into the bottle.
- 8. The dégorgement date indicates when the bottle received its final cork. The time between bottling and dégorgement is the time the champagne spent ageing in the cellar.
- 9. The dosage category is already indicated on the bottle. Some producers choose to state the precise dosage. In this case 6,5 grams of sugar per litre. Read more about dosage here.
- 10. The optimal temperature to drink the champagne.Read more about how to chill champagne.
- 11. The contents of the bottle. In l, cl or ml.
- 12. The trade name of the producer together with the municipality where the head office is located.
- 13. A statement that "drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy, even in small amounts, can be harmful to the health of the child." Or the logo.
- 14. Batch number, which is mainly important for the producer.
- 15. Declaration of allergens and preservatives.
- 16. The producer's official 'registration code'. The letters say something about the method of production. More about the meaning of these letters and numbers here.
- 17. Country of origin. Often also seen as "Produit de France"
- 18. Alcohol percentage.
- 19. Logo of the Vignerons Indépendants, a winegrowers' association that stands for the (small) independent winegrower. An affiliated winegrower grows and produces his own wines with respect for the terroir and a passion for wine.
- 20. The Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) is an environmental certification regulated by law. There are three levels, of which level 3 is the highest attainable level. To receive an HVE certification, many requirements regarding sustainable agriculture and an environmentally friendly approach must be met.