The Champagne apellation is one of the most tightly controlled in France. The vineyards are classified, the type of grapes grown are limited, the amount of grape juice from each pressing is controlled, and the age that the wine can be sold at is regulated.
Every bottle of Champagne must be labelled with the name of its source. This is done in the form of a code of two letters and a series of numbers. The two letters denote the type of producer, whether a grower, a co-operative, a house. The numbers refer to the actual name and adress of the licensee, who may be completely different from the brand name on the label. In fact the second biggest Champagne producer, Marne et Champagne, produces no wines under its own name! The numbers after the brackets are the number of Marques registered.
N.M. (Négoçiant Manipulant) 1320 Most of the well known brands fall into this category. They are Champagne houses who buy grapes in bulk to make their own Champagne.
R.M. (Récoltant Manipulant) 3649 This a grower who grows his own grapes to make his own Champagne. He may also sell grapes to others, and also buy in a proportion of grapes to augment his own production.
C.M. (Co-opérative de Manipulation) 233 A group of growers who produce Champagne under their own brand name(s).
R.C. (Récoltant Co-opérateur) 4015 A co-operative member who sells a co-operative produced Champagne under his own brand name.
S.R. (Société Récoltantes) 31 An association of a number of growers who pool their resources, but who are not a co-operative.
N.D. (Négoçiant Distributeur) 148 A merchant that sells wine from other producers under his own brand.
M.A. (Marque d'Acheteur) 2994 Buyer's own brand. This is an "own label" name owned by a supermarket or wine merchant, and the Champagne will be made for them by one of the above.