The Champagne powerhouses behind our most iconic bubbles

Perhaps the most famous of all the houses, if you survey your friends and family, we’d say there’s a 99.99999999% chance every one of them has heard of Moët & Chandon. The house was founded in 1743 (that’s 282 years ago) by Claude Moët (and yep, it’s pronounced mo-wet).

Moët & Chandon’s vineyards sit on 1300 hectares of limestone soil – the largest vineyard area in Champagne. Its underground cellars are more than 28 kilometres long (that’s the length of 162 MCGs). Wherever you are in the world, you’ll never be far away from that famous star and crest. In fact, you’ll find it in more than 150 countries. Moët & Chandon is owned by LVMH, you may know them from their other works of art like Dom Pérignon, Belvedere, Château d’Yquem, Krug, Hennessy, Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot, and outside of the drinks world, they’re also home to Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, Loewe – the list is very long and very impressive.

We can’t talk about Moët & Chandon without mentioning the Impérial Brut – it’s one of the most famous Champagnes in the world. Created in 1869, the Impérial is a blend of more than 200 crus across pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. It’s a dry, light-bodied Champagne with bright citrus fruit flavours. The Impérial is beloved by so many, which makes it an excellent gift. But you probably already know that.

G.H. Mumm, or Maison Mumm, was established in Reims in 1827. But that’s not where the story started – Peter Arnold Mumm launched his wine and merchant business, P.A.Mumm, in 1791 in Germany. It was Peter’s sons (Gottlieb, Jacobus and Philipp) who saw an opportunity in France and later launched the offshoot of the business in Champagne (and lucky for us they did!).

Mumm’s vineyards cover close to 218 hectares (sheesh), most of which is planted with pinot noir, along with some chardonnay and pinot meunier. The clever cookies at Mumm are famous for setting up their wine presses in vineyards way back in 1840, so you could say they were way ahead of the game. In 1876, Georges Hermann Mumm – if you’re still keeping up with the family tree, George was the son one of the brothers – released the famous Cordon Rouge. With the Cordon Rouge came Mumm’s iconic red silk ribbon, which remains Mumm’s signature 150 years on.

It’s blended from more than 100 crus and heroes pinot noir – the house’s signature grape – with chardonnay and pinot meunier added for their fruity and floral characteristics. Put your nose in the glass and you’ll smell lychee, pineapple and brioche. And as you sip, you’ll taste the white and yellow fruits and sticky caramel.

Lanson, based in the heart of Reims, was founded by Francis Delamotte in 1760, which means it’s 265 years old. It's famous for its red crest – the Croix Lanson – which you'll find on each bottle. And, fun fact, it’s also known for being the official Champagne of Wimbledon (a partnership that's into its 47th year, ace!).

Now, the rules are that Champagne must be aged in the bottle for a minimum of 15 months, but Lanson ages its Le Black Création Champagne – its signature wine – for four years. Each label is marked with a number, which will tell you how many harvests have taken place since 1760 (we lovvvvve trivia). It's a blend of our three favourites, with pinot accounting for 50%, and the fruit comes from around 100 vineyards. Pour a glass and you'll taste ripe orchard fruit, citrus like mandarin, lemon and grapefruit and that delicious brioche.