négociant

French · merchant

A négociant is a merchant producer or distributor that buys grapes, wine or finished bottles; in Champagne label codes it appears as NM and ND.1

Two forms

  • NM, négociant manipulant: buys grapes, musts or wines and makes Champagne on its premises.1,2
  • ND, négociant distributeur: buys finished bottles and labels them.1,2

The counterpart is the récoltant, a grower working with its own harvest.1 Most Champagne houses (maisons) are NM.2 See label codes and 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.3

See also

NM (négociant manipulant)GlossaryND (négociant distributeur)GlossarymaisonGlossaryChampagne label codes: NM, RM, CM, RC, SR, ND, MAStylesWhen the Champagne houses were foundedHistory

Sources

  1. DGCCRF (Ministère de l'Économie). Champagne : connaître le langage des étiquettes (2025-12-16)
  2. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). Labeling
  3. 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