maison

French · house

A maison is a Champagne trading house, usually registered as an NM (négociant manipulant); the Union des Maisons de Champagne counts at least 200 NM, mostly in Reims and Épernay.1

How a house works

An NM buys grapes, musts or wines in addition to any grapes of its own and makes the wine on its premises.2,1 In a house, the chef de cave tastes the base wines and decides the blend to match the house style.3 The Union des Maisons de Champagne uses the term Grande Marque for the major houses.4,3

History of the houses: Champagne houses.

The AOC Champagne specification requires the registration identifiers set by the Comité Champagne on every label, but does not list the codes itself.5

See also

NM (négociant manipulant)GlossaryGrande MarqueGlossaryChef de caveGlossaryWhen the Champagne houses were foundedHistoryChampagne label codes: NM, RM, CM, RC, SR, ND, MAStylesChampagneRegions

Sources

  1. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). Labeling
  2. DGCCRF (Ministère de l'Économie). Champagne : connaître le langage des étiquettes (2025-12-16)
  3. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). Blending a Grande Marque cuvée
  4. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). The art of tasting
  5. Cahier des charges de l'AOC Champagne (homologated by arrêté of 30 Nov 2022; draft modification after INAO committee of 7 Sept 2023) (2023-09-07)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19