For the past decade or two, one of the most important and enduring trends in fine sparkling wine has been the rise of “grower champagnes”. These are wines made in the Champagne region by people who not only grow their own grapes but also ferment, mature and bottle their own wines in their own cellars.

This doesn’t sound like a particularly radical concept. Isn’t this what vignerons do every day, all around the world, from Burgundy to the Barossa? Well, yes – but in Champagne it’s the exception, not the norm. The clue is in the name: grower champagne.