Champagne producers sold fewer bottles in 2023, a year of "return to normal" in terms of volumes after a record 2022 and a dark 2020 due to Covid. This was announced, in a note, by the Champagne committee specifying that total shipments of the famous French sparkling wine in 2023 amounted to 299 million bottles, or 8.2% less than in 2022.
However, the committee that brings together producers and traders does not report strong concerns: for professionals of sparkling wines from beyond the Alps, the strategy is to "move upwards", that is, to market bubbles at a higher price, even if this means selling less. "Despite the decline in volumes, the upward shift in vintages, especially for exports, has allowed the denomination to maintain its turnover above 6 billion euros," a figure exceeded for the first time in 2022, the committee points out. "The French market - it is also pointed out - suffers more than export markets from inflation, which has weighed on household budgets throughout the year".
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had reduced sales to around 245 million bottles, then in 2021 they rose to 320 million, before reaching 326 million in 2022. From now on, exports account for "more than 57 percent of total sales, up from 45 percent a decade ago," the committee notes.
The president of the General Union of Winegrowers, co-president of the Champagne committee, Maxime Toubart, welcomes this "return to normality". "Champagne is a designation of origin produced in a demarcated area and that meets strict rules that do not allow it to sustainably sustain strong growth in volume," he notes.
David Châtillon, president of the Union of Champagne Houses and also co-chair of the committee, adds that "with a value maintained, Champagne remains optimistic for the future, even if champagne is sensitive to the geopolitical context and the evolution of the world economy".
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