Raise a glass with: Sandia Chang, founder of Bubbleshop and co-founder of Kitchen Table

Sandia Chang, sommelier, founder of Bubbleshop and co-founder of two-Michelin-starred Kitchen Table, on grower Champagnes

Almost 10 years ago, when I put the concept for Bubbledogs on paper, I really struggled to find bottles of grower Champagne [small-scale producers].

At that time, very few consumers were interested in grower Champagnes or even knew what they were, so this meant that wine distributors weren’t importing them and restaurants wouldn’t list them. Fast-forward to today and I have just been told that one of the producers that I’ve been serving for nine years is now in such high demand that there’s just not enough bottles to go around! It’s a good problem to have, because it means that the palate for these smaller-scale Champagnes is gradually changing.

There has been a rumour that one of the big clubs in Ibiza has recently turned down its allocation from one of the grande marque Champagne houses to make room on their wine list for grower Champagnes.

Although it’s great to hear there’s an appetite for these less well-known producers, I also worry about how much stock a club in Ibiza would need to meet demand. Moët & Chandon produces 30 million bottles of Champagne a year compared to some growers who can only produce 8,000 bottles.

I can understand why people are starting to see the value in grower Champagnes, like the ones that I sell in the Bubbleshop. People now want provenance and authenticity in everything they consume. When we get a cup of coffee, we see where the beans are sourced from, who the roasters are and even which dairy the milk is from. So when it comes to Champagne, it’s natural that we also want to know who made it, where the grapes were grown and how it has become what we are tasting.

For most grande marque Champagnes, this isn’t something that they can offer. The grapes are bought in from different farmers and the wines are made in a central winery. With grower Champagne producers, they are both the farmers and the winemakers. This is the feedback I receive the most from those who buy from Bubbleshop, and it’s so lovely to hear.

The passion and the care that comes with grower Champagne is what fuels my crusade to get big-brand drinkers converted. For me, there is just more soul in the glass when you know that the person who made that wine also cared for the grapes and tended to the vines. They have more freedom to create more interesting wines than commercial Champagne brands, and can be truer to the terroir as they are not as concerned about making a consistent product.

I’m thrilled to see such a shift in taste and more people supporting grower Champagne producers… just as long as I can still get my hands on my favourite bottles!