Champagne News: Total shipments of Champagne in 2021 rose to 322 million bottles, an increase of 32% over 2020

The Champagne region and houses are celebrating after sales and exports set new records last year even as pandemic lockdowns forced many bars and restaurants to close.

Comité Champagne, a trade association representing over 16,000 winegrowers and 320 Champagne houses, said this week that France exported a record 180 million bottles of Champagne in 2021, an increase of 38% over 2020.

Global sales of Champagne also hit a record €5.5 billion (US$6.2 billion).

Comité Champagne said that total shipments rose 32% over the previous year to 322 million bottles as people found reasons to celebrate at home.

“With tourism and the staging of events still reduced due to the health crisis, there is room to believe that home consumption has taken up the slack,” the trade group said in a statement.

“Consumers have chosen to entertain themselves at home, compensating for the generally gloomy mood with new moments of conviviality and sharing,” they also added.

Detailed export data has not yet been released, but in 2020, the United Kingdom and the United States were the top foreign markets for champagne.

Champagne drinking popped back up to its pre-pandemic levels last year in France, with shipments increasing 25% to reach nearly 142 million bottles.

‘This recovery is a welcome surprise for the people of Champagne after a troubled 2020 (with figures down by 18%) impacted by the closure of main points of consumption and the shortage of celebratory events across the world,’ comments Maxime Toubart, president of the Syndicat général des vignerons and co-president of the Comité Champagne. He is otherwise pleased to note ‘the healthy state of the national market’.

Jean-Marie Barillère, president of the Union des Maisons de Champagne and co-president of the Comité Champagne, is delighted that ‘thanks to exports and the consumer’s devotion to fine cuvees, Champagne will reach a record turnover of more than 5.5 billion Euros*’. But he stresses ‘the average shipments in 2020-2021, at 280 million bottles and 4.9 billion Euros, remain under the pre-pandemic levels (300 million bottles, 5 billion Euros in 2019)’.
Afflicted by the health crisis in 2020 and challenging climatic conditions in 2021, Champagne now hopes that 2022 will open the way to a new cycle of growth.

#champagne #champagnelovers #champagneeconomics #champagneregion #comitechampagne
#cheers #wine #winelovers #celebrate #winenews #wineexports #reims #epernay #aube

Project Champagne 2030

Growers and brand owners have recently united to increase the quality and value of Champagne through a project dubbed 2030.

Project 2030 was officially launched in December at a meeting of the Association Viticole Champenoise (AVC) to improve the long-term health of the region, both for those selling the wines, but also those working in the vineyards.

Tension between the producers and brand owners is common and is usually due to grape prices – Ghislain de Montgolfier has stated that Project 2030 had brought “communal targets” which will require both parties “to work well together”.

Speaking of the motivation for the project, he added, “We think that we have to protect the image of Champagne not just through the legal system but by increasing knowledge of the product, as well as the quality and sustainability.”

Further impetus for the project stems from a need to add value to Champagne. Although the region is approaching a production limit of 370 million bottles (based on an average yield of 12,400 kg/ha), margins for brand owners are declining.

Indeed, figures shows that between 1971 and 2011 the volume of Champagne produced has increased by 28%, but the value has only risen by 4%.
More particular, the average price for a bottle of Champagne has remained almost stable during the last three years, while grape prices have increased around 3% in each of the last three harvests.

Nevertheless, greater cooperative between the growers and the houses was confirmed by Pascal Férat, head of Champagne’s Syndicat Général des Vignerons.

In an interview with Drinks Business, Férat said, “The houses and growers share a common vision and objective for the region of Champagne.”

He also said, “Project 2030 is about setting up long term objectives for 2030 and the next generation, and I am very happy to open this file, even if I won’t see the end of the project.” Continuing he commented, “It’s about Champagne taking its future in hand, and about the presidents [of the unions for the growers and the houses] pushing the key leaders of Champagne to sit around the same table and decide the future.”

The project has a two-pronged approach according to Férat, with, on the one hand, a focus on the positioning of Champagne in global markets and on the other, an emphasis on how growers need to evolve and adapt to secure their position in the long term.

For the growers, Férat admitted that one core part of Project 2030 would consider the transfer of land from one generation to the next.

With the price of land in Champagne now averaging €1 million per hectare, the cost of passing on vineyards to the next generation is becoming prohibitively high due to inheritance tax.

Pascal Férat (left) and Ghislain de Montgolfier captured together for the launch of Project Champagne 2030.
Photo courtesy of http://www.lunion.presse.fr

Ghislain de Montgolfier, president of the Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC) since 2007 ­– although retiring from the post this month – told the drinks business that the growers and houses “want to improve Champagne together.”

Source: Drinks Business

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Limited Edition Armand de Brignac Champagne Truffles – Created by the Chocolate Luxury Truffle Chocolatiers


Armand de Brignac the No. 1 Champagne in the world has collaborated with luxury truffle chocolatiers, the Chocolate, to produce the ultimate taste of luxury for Valentine’s Day, ‘Limited Edition Armand de Brignac Champagne Truffles Created by the Chocolate’

Armand de Brignac Champagne is a limited-production prestige cuvée that is produced by award-winning Champagne Cattier house of Chigny-les-Roses, France. The Cattier family has owned and cultivated vineyards in the Montagne de Reims terroir in the French Champagne region since 1763.

Created exclusively for Valentine’s Day, the bespoke handmade truffles are crafted using 63% Toscano Black, sourced from a small, family-run team of artisan chocolate makers based outside the Italian historic city of Pisa. The family prides themselves on their focus and desire to create the best chocolate in the world, and it comes as no surprise that they were awarded the prestigious ‘Golden Bean’ Best Bean to Bar award by the revered Academy of Chocolate.

The family uses a traditional granite stone mill to refine the cocoa beans and the ganache is created using a mixture of cocoa, cream and Armand de Brignac Champagne. At the final stage, the 15 truffles are flaked with edible 24-carat gold, enclosed in a bespoke boutique box featuring an edible pure 24-carat gold inlay, which has been designed to compliment Armand de Brignac Brut Gold Champagne.

A bottle of Armand de Brignac Brut Gold is also included and is presented in a black lacquer wooden box, fitted with an engraved nameplate and lined in black velvet.

Armand de Brignac and the Chocolate perfectly complement each other through their creative passion, use of traditional methods, approach to craftsmanship and their desire to create the best! These characteristics make the Limited Edition Armand de Brignac Champagne Truffles created by the Chocolate the perfect Valentine’s gift – for her and for him.


This bespoke gift is only available in the UK for a limited period, and can be purchased from www.the-chocolate.com for £400. Delivery of this unique hand-made product is within five days or can be expressed for specific delivery date.

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses