This Bastille Day, toast a different sort of French revolution: “Grower Champagne,” the underdog out to mount a coup d’état against the monarchy of big champagne houses. Of the 15,000 grape growers in the region, historically few have bottled their own elixirs — the majority sell grapes to négoçiants, such as Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot, which blend and bottle, and capture 97% of U.S. sales. But now, more growers are storming the figurative Bastille and crafting their own artisanal bubbly. So far, they’ve taken only a sip of the $291 million U.S. market, but it’s a start. Vive la révolution.
Fast Company