Where to buy good producer champagne? (2023 Guide)
For beginners, finding a good champagne can already be complicated, but if you also want a good, inexpensive champagne, it can be impossible.
So what are the good tips for obtaining quality champagne at a reasonable price? Here are our tips for finding the gem that will delight your palate without breaking the bank!
To find champagne at a good price, you must already know where to look for it. Where can you find good champagne at a good price? Are there places or networks to favor? Is buying champagne online a good deal? Should you go to wholesalers or supermarkets to benefit from unbeatable promotions?
- Where to buy good champagne?
- The good plan: purchasing directly from the small producer
- What are the best winemaker champagnes?
Where to buy good champagne?
Buy online
These days, everything takes place on the web. But is it a good idea to buy your champagne?
Online sales sites can prove to be a good plan for obtaining cheap champagne. In fact, prices are generally lower, because there is no need to stock like in a physical store. In addition, these sites generally have a very wide choice. On the other hand, advice will inevitably be lacking. You must therefore already have an idea of what you want to buy to be effective. Also pay attention to shipping costs, which are sometimes prohibitive.
The type of site will also play a role. We will find the same big brands on the web such as Leclerc, Carrefour, Cdiscount or Amazon, which will have an online “champagne” section. There you will find promotions at unbeatable prices. But these sites will often offer such a wide choice that it is difficult to navigate. There are also specialized sites like “Champevent” or “Plus debulles” which are responsible for the selection and offer an interesting range.
Finally, we can turn to the winegrowers' sites, rarer but more specialized. This is the best value for money, since it is the producer who sells his production directly. He knows the champagnes he presents perfectly and the prices are significantly lower than those of the big houses.
It is therefore entirely possible to find good, inexpensive champagne online, you just need to know where to look!
Buy from a wholesaler
Another possibility for obtaining a good champagne at a lower cost is to buy it from a wholesaler. This possibility is particularly suitable for certain occasions where you need to order in quantity, such as weddings.
Going through a wholesaler will allow you to access brands that are normally reserved for professionals, for a much lower price than if you go through your caterer! The only drawback is that the quantities that must be ordered are sometimes too large. You must also be careful to choose a reseller who sources directly from the producers as this will be a guarantee of quality.
Buy in supermarkets?
Can you find quality champagne at a low price in supermarkets? The answer is yes ! Champagne is one of the elements of the merciless war between the various major brands. You will therefore very often find champagnes from major houses with very attractive promotional offers.
The second possibility is to buy champagnes from producer brands. You can then find a champagne between 10 and 20 €, which is significantly less than the average. Private label bottles also represent 20% of the nearly 50 million bottles sold each year.
But you should still know that if some of them do more honorably, there is always the risk of having a champagne of very reduced quality. A champagne that is too sweet or too acidic, or even smells like household products, does not exactly correspond to the atmosphere of luxurious pleasure that we want to create by sipping the champagne. Because there is no secret: to lower production costs, it is tempting to look for less rich terroirs or to skimp on aging….
The good plan: purchasing directly from a small producer
Our good plan: purchasing directly from the small producer. It has everything a great one in terms of quality, without costing the sky-high prices of champagnes from the most famous houses. Come and see the selection of the best producer champagnes that we offer you, to find very high quality champagne at an attractive price!
Winegrower champagne, or small producer champagne, is a second option compared to champagnes from the big houses. They can be recognized by the words “RM” on the label. This “Récoltant-Manipulatant” label assures consumers that the estate cultivates the vines, the harvest, produces its champagne and markets it itself without purchasing grapes or wines made by others.
It is local champagne compared to the standardized champagne of the big houses.
Buy a (much) cheaper champagne
Why is this a good plan? Because it’s the best value for money! Champagne from small producers is often synonymous with cheap champagne.
Winegrowers' champagnes are made in an artisanal manner. It is the winegrower who takes care of the cultivation of the vines, the harvest, the manufacturing and often even the marketing. This system helps to avoid intermediaries, which allows them to offer champagne less expensive than those of the big houses. As they do not have the structural costs of big brands, this also gives them the opportunity to save money and offer quality champagne for much less.
Another advantage of winegrower champagne: marketing. Most often, small producer champagne gains a reputation through word of mouth and not through a massive investment in a marketing strategy. No need to rely on a name on a label, the best advertising for the winemaker is the quality of his champagne!
Champagne from small producers is also the one that will be closest to the terroir. Great champagnes are known worldwide, of course, but as a result, they are in demand for export, which will increase demand and therefore the price. On the contrary, more than 80% of champagnes from small producers are sold in France, they are independent of international demand flows and maintain a price closely linked to quality, without additional costs.
Good price plan, but what about the quality?
Here too, the winegrower's champagne stands out for its great successes! Champagne from a small producer has all the makings of a big one and even proves capable of beating great vintages in blind tastings. It stands out from the more standardized blends of large houses by focusing on the terroir and the historical aspect of viticulture. It is a champagne of terroir rather than blend. You will find a champagne with character, which is off the beaten track. Champagnes from small producers will charm you with their personality and authenticity.
Some winegrowers' champagnes have made the bold bet of lower yields, riper and less acidic harvests, and research into aging in wood. It’s the champagne for enthusiasts, which will delight beginners and experienced amateurs alike!
In any case, do not neglect the first rule: you must test the champagne that you will like to taste…
What are the best winemaker champagnes?
Now that you know why winegrower's champagne is a good deal, you still have to choose it... Because there are more than 2000 manipulative harvesters, spread across the four major Champagne regions, between the Marne Valley, the mountains of Reims, the Côte des Blancs and the Côte des Bars. Production also varies enormously with houses producing only 2000 bottles and others up to ten times more, or 200,000 bottles per year.
Here is a subjective selection of some champagnes from quality winemakers at competitive prices:
- Domaine Pierre Peters: Brut Blanc de Blancs de Reserve - €42
- Domaine René Geoffroy: Brut Rosé de Saignée - €45
- Maison De Lozey: Brut Tradition - €27.20
- Maison Gimonnet et Fils: Cuvée Brut nature Oenophile - €45.50
- Maison Colin: Cuvée Parallèle 1er cru Blanc de Blancs - €32.90
Discover our Brut Tradition
Deliciously fruity, energetic, refreshing and easy to drink, it is the essential champagne, the safe bet. Never will a classic champagne tickle your taste buds so much.
Of course, these are only indications, it is always better to form your own opinion by testing the champagne to find the one that will arouse real emotions and charm you. Certain sites such as Vinatis, champagne-terroir, les grapes or Vivino will allow you to find THE champagne from a small producer. The excellence of taste and economy with winemaker champagne is a successful bet.