Grower champagnes are the family enterprises, often stretching back over generations, who own their own vineyards in the heart of the Champagne appellation.

From here, they grow the grapes to make their own wine, often bottling it on the premises as well. If it’s individuality and character you’re after, the Grower champagnes have it in spades.

Lacking the gargantuan resources of the big players, they are more reliant on the characters to be found within particular vintages and locations. The wines them-selves come in a diverse range of distinctive styles reflecting the idiosyncrasies of their particular terroir.

The diversity, complexity and individuality of these boutique styles sets them apart from the mainstream. With corporatization of the industry so prevalent, many aficiona-dos are developing a taste for these smaller scale, handcrafted champagne styles.

Grower champagnes often find themselves introduced using broad strokes – artisanal, small scale, usually family-owned grape to glass operations.

Those descriptions are good, of course, but can at times fail to convey the unique nature of many of these producers and the variety of tastes on offer. These are, after all, not wines made by committee, bound by expectation or potentially having their own eccentricities diluted by the blending vat.

Each village, vintage and vintner have their voice on display in every bottle of Grower champagne. As a happy consequence, there is a bottle for every palate.

Whether it is the power and oak-driven rich-ness of a Henri Giraud or the floral delicacy of a Lassalle, the world of Grower champagne is a cornucopia of interesting stories and excellent wines waiting to be discovered.