Mumm Champagne, France
Founded in: 1827

The Mumm Champagne House has come to symbolise champagne around the world. As a major player in the world of champagne, Mumm has been instrumental in the success of this outstanding product across the centuries. It has been behind advances in viniculture and high-profile initiatives which have helped establish champagne's international reputation while respecting tradition and keeping pace with changing tastes and fashions.
Mumm, Bubbly Since 1827, The Mumm brothers, Jacobus, Gottlieb and Philipp, who were from a rich family of German wine merchants and who also owned vineyards in the Rhine valley, arrived in Reims in 1827.
Along with their business partner Friedrich Giesler, they set up P.A. Mumm et Cie., the initials standing for the forenames of their father, Peter Arnold Mumm. 120 km to the east of Paris, the champagne vineyards cover 35 000 hectares. There are four main growing areas in the Champagne region: The Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne, the Côte des Blancs and Aube.

Since 1927 These four winegrowing areas have been divided into 321 crus. The crus are classified according to a percentage system known as the "échelle des crus" (scale of crus) which ranges from 80% to 100% according to the soil, microclimate and exposure to the sun, factors that determine the quality of the wine.

The champagne vineyards are comprised of three grape-varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Chardonnay, a noble variety of white grape, provides finesse, elegance and lightness. This variety is also used for the great white Burgundies. A champagne like Mumm de Cramant that uses only Chardonnay is called a "Blanc de Blancs". The Chardonnay is strongly represented in the Côte de Blancs area, and accounts for 27% of the vines in all Champagne and 49% of those grown in the Grands Crus areas.

Grapes require permanent care and attention, and each season brings its own specific tasks.
Pruning takes place in winter through to the end of March. The purpose of pruning is to ensure better ripeness of the grapes and to improve the quality of the wine. Then, between 15 March and 1st May, the vine shoots are trained along rows of wire.

Mumm invests constantly in research to ensure continual improvement in the quality of its champagnes and to provide its vineyards with the most modern techniques while preserving the authentic character of the resulting wines. Mumm's researchers have established scientific and technical programs with public research bodies including the INRA, the CNRS and Météo France.
The influence of the soil, the geographical location, weather hazards and the improvement of established grape-varieties are all subjects for the Mumm research teams in their constant pursuit of excellence.

At the end of September, approximately 100 days after the flowering of the vines, the grapes are ready for picking. So as to ensure perfect protection of the grapes, harvesting machines are not authorised in Champagne. The grapes are picked exclusively by hand, parcel by parcel.
For three weeks in September Mumm needs almost 1,000 harvesters.

Champagne has been associated with navigation since the 19th century when boats were christened by striking the hull with a bottle of champagne. In keeping with this tradition, Mumm has been the official partner of prestigious events in the world of sailing since the 1970s.

Tenacity, commitment and performance bring these two universes together where dreams and passion drive and rally teams. Mumm also lends its name to such prestigious boats as the Mumm 30 and the Mumm 36, sailboats that are among the most successful in the world market.

Source Mumm Champagne