It is the real time to drink French Champagne..

It is the real time to drink French Champagne, however all it is not good news

I want to introduce a friend of mine that is a writer/wine lover that currently works with Charlie Aeturaola. He’s based out of Occitania, France. Please give him a warm welcome and enjoy. It is the real time to drink French Champagne. You can read more of Osvaldo’s work here 

Overview of Champagne sales

Legend: Charlie Arturaola (American Sommeliers Association) tastes a glass of Champagne Gosset the oldest Champagne in the world since 1784. Charlie Arturaola de l’American Sommeliers Association cata un Copa de champán de la casa Gosset el más Antiguo champán del mundo desde 1784 Ay en Champagne, Francia.

At first glance, 2017 was a stellar year for French champagne (region Grand Est.) where are already settled 16 000 establishments 29 735 jobs in the champagne business area.  That represents 4 % of the establishments of the region. They offer 26 820 jobs, employees, that is 1 % of the all-regional staff. In the Big East, the activity of the champagne business is mainly confined in the zone of the harvest of the champagne. Locally, champagne producers are very strong contributors to the employment.

Sales in France actually fell amid rising competition from Italian Prosecco and Spanish “Cava” especially the high quality produced in Villanueva del Penedès town of Barcelona, and England’s fantastic fizz with a huge success in Prowein 2018 fair in Dusseldorf. Other sparkling wines are predicted set to be the surprise fizz on a record number of dinner tables, Mother’s and Fathers’ day, weddings, summer-party, Festival festivities and next Christmas.

Although in 20017 the champagne sales have been lower in the French market, for the tail of the economic crisis, the high rate of unemployment in France, a reduction and lack of the number of tourists not visiting and France because of the episodes of terrorism of 2016 and recently the 23d March 2018 in Trèbes beautiful village near Carcassonne.

In the last year, the price of champagne has been going up

In the last year, the price of champagne has been going up, people have seen Champagne customers switching allegiance and now buying sparkling wine, as the average price for a bottle of Champagne in France is now about 17-21 € Euros (normal brut bottle) compared to 10-12 € Euros in 2016, in supermarkets.  An average price increase of 12% explains everything you can’t ask all consumers to stay with such a big increase. Also, the unfavorable exchange rate after Brexit translated to 450,000 bottles of lost sales for only one champagne company last year.

Restrictions meant to ensure quality like aging the wine at least 18 months mean that champagne is pricier and much more expensive than other domestic and foreign sparkling wines, and French consumers have been feeling the pinch more generally after a decade of dismal economic growth.

The grower-producers are more on the French market, although the French economy is getting better, people are not buying more Champagne and the first months of 2017 has made to mark a 2, 5% contraction with 153,7 million bottles. So the sparkling wines have an incredible success like Italian Prosecco over the last few years and have opened the door for other quality sparkling wines and this year early sales from Villafranca del Penedès Cava are on the customer’s table for the first time. Villafranca del Penedès cava and English fizz variety are soaring in popularity and quality. However the Prosecco continues to be the European favorite fizz with demand going up in the last year by 20 percent and it continues to outsell Champagne, with Blanquette de Limoux, Cremant d’Alsalce, and the famous Cava and Grand Reserve from Villanueva del Penedès and Saint Sadurní d’Anoia.

Sales of Champagne dipped

Sales of Champagne dipped 2.5 percent last year  but the drop was 4.9 percent for the smaller houses, or 2.5 million fewer bottles, according to (Committee trade body Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne CIVC) the turnover for the third consecutive year, the champagne shipping’s should reach new record maybe even exceed the overall of 5 billion Euros sales.

Due to rising levels of shipments until October 2017 compared to the same period in 2016, the Comité of Champagne has estimated that the region would see its global total reach at least 312 million bottles, a rise of 2% on 2017’s 307 million bottle figure.

Meanwhile Maxime Toubart has been elected and appointed as President of the Syndicat General Des Vignerons of Champagne area (SVG) and co-president of the Comité of Champagne (CIVC), while the exports, in 3, 5% growth, they reach in practice the quota of the French market with 153, 6 million bottles. Overall, the global turn of the business of  Champagne in 2017 marks a new record in value, with 5 million of European. This performance is due to the growth of the export (2,8 million of European, +6,6% in comparison to 2016), to the forehead of a stable (2,1 million of European) French market. In the arc of the last 12 years, from 2005 to today, the turn of business of the Champagne is grown of a million of European.

A total of a little less than 308 million bottles is the latest estimate given by CIVC and France shipped less Champagne in 2017.

Vincent Perrin said: The sector can consider having sent more than 307 million of champagne bottles figure registered. However, there was sold 312 million bottles in 2015. The export and the valuation of our vintages stay fundamental levers of the competitiveness.

The Champagne lives a plan which reproduces year by year for ten years. Accordingly to CICV sales of champagne have been growing in the United States and in Asia, the diversification of markets it is selling more than 500, 000 bottles.

CIVC announced that 307 million bottles of Champagne bottles were shipped in 2016 and the estimated turnover was 4.5 billion Euros, versus 4.75bn in 2015 (312 million bottles sold). Figures are preliminary at this stage.

The quality of Cava and other sparkling wines like has massively improved over the last few years and there has been a lot of investment in production techniques and especially in the actual growing of the grapes as well as training, knowledge, and expertise of Spanish Cava, and English fizz winemakers.

In the last decade the number of acres planted with grapevines in England and Wales

In the last decade, the number of acres planted with grapevines in England and Wales has grown by 135 percent, according to the English Wine Producers trade body.  And over the next months this year 2018 UK wine producers will plant a record 1 million vines, increasing production by two million more bottles of wine annually. The quality of English sparkling wines has also been helped by warmer weather over the last few years and in particular two great Septembers in 2015 and 2016.

Conditions in parts of Kent where the owner of Champagne Taittinger in Reims, the heart of champagne country Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger and Patrick Mc Grath, Manager Director of Hatch Mansfield have planted in Kent (South of London): 70 hectares of champagne vines in Stone Stile Farm, near Chilham and other areas of southern England, are said to be similar to the Champagne region of France 80 to 100 years ago.

The problem is that the French market is tough, very competitive… but 80 percent of vineyards sell their champagne in France. Of the roughly 16,000 vineyards counted by the Champagne Committee for 2016, about 4,400 produce and sell their own bottles. Many of those hoping to stay in the game are themselves trying to sell beyond France, encouraged by exports that are going-up the 8.4 percent in the last year 2017.

About half of the production goes to the United States, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Champagne Gosset the oldest champagne in the world since 1784 (Ay), Moët, Veuve Clicquot and Dom Pérignon, among other brands, enjoyed sales volume increases of 4% in 2017, said Charlie Arturaola Miami American wine expert and Champagne appraisal (wine export consulting with Grappolo Blu Miami) and Member of “L’Ordre Coteaux de Champagne” Confrérie (Brotherhood of wines) bachique from 17e Century defending the values of Champagne wines urbi et orbi) friend and client of M. Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger the head of the Champagne Taittinger in Reims.

Italian market has absorbed a million bottles of Champagne. In 2017 it grows of 9,7% the value of Champagne toward Italy, the fifth world market is confirmed to the export for the famous French wine with a billing of 152,2 million Euros (taxes excluded).
From January in December 2017, the bottles come in Italy have been 7,3 million with an increase, 1% to volume in comparison to the preceding year, placing Italy to the seventh place among the markets of the Champagne.

The United States is confirmed to the first place among the markets of the value (586 million of European) export, in 8 growths, 5%. Japan consolidates the third position (+21, 3%) as volume (+17, 6%). The situation is more complex in Germany, where the turn of business is increased of the 1, 7%, while the volumes are in light decrease (-0, 8%), and South Korea purchases 1million bottles.

Asia is one of the more developing champagnes’ sales continents (+15% to volume and 19% to value). The Chinese (China that is organizing in next may 10-13th May 2018 the #ConcoursMondial of Brussels #CMB (International Wine Competition) in Haidian District Beijing Capital of China with Charlie Arturaola Wine Expert in Miami). Meaningful the results of Korea of the South with a value 39,5% growth, where you purchase him they overcome for the first time a million bottles. After a bending in 2016, the African continent takes back its expansion (+7% to volume and value) with a return to the growth of Nigeria (+24,7% to volume and 18,4% to value).
In Oceania, Australia slightly continues the development (+23% to value and more 15,5% volume) despite the rate of less favorable change, as the New Zeeland (+12,9% to value). In Europe, excluding France, the value grows of 3,9% in a context of stable (-0,5%) volumes: European altogether marks a 1 decrease, 3% with 76,6 million bottles, while Scandinavia records a 9% increase to value.

Champagne in French Supermarkets

French Supermarkets sales of Champagne by volume in a poor performance in such retailers will negatively affect the total. Recording a fall in shipments for the French market of 3-4%, such an estimate would represent a drop of around 6 million bottles (to total fewer than 152m bottles, down from 2016’s figure of 157.7m bottles).

It is widely believed that Champagne sales in French supermarkets are falling because the extent of price promotional activity on this famous fizz is diminishing.

The promotions in French supermarkets are now on other sparkling wines such as Cava, Blanquette de Limoux and cremant because there are more margins for the retailers.

Champagne is a sparkling wine produced only from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France, which is a protected PDO in the European Union and the UNESCO.

Sites that are protected as being a Patrimonies of the UNESCO “Paysages de Champagne”

Les coteaux d’Hautvillers
Les caves coopératives d’Hautvillers
La cave Thomas à Hautvillers
Les coteaux d’Aÿ
Les caves d’Aÿ
Les coteaux de Mareuil-sur-Aÿ
Les caves de Mareuil-sur-Aÿ
La colline Saint-Nicaise
Les caves Pommery, Ruinart, Veuve-Clicquot, Charles Heidsieck
Les caves Taittinger
Les caves Martel
L’avenue de Champagne
Le Fort Chabrol
Les caves de l’avenue de Champagne

The three primary grapes used in the production of Champagne are Chardonnay is the most popular of all white grape varieties, albeit not the most widely planted variety in the world (a dubious honor belonging to Spain’s grape variety Airén). Pinot Noir is the classic grape of red Burgundy, whose greatest wines are concentrated in the east and south-east-facing limestone hills of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, and Pinot Meunier. Other grape varieties are permitted but rarely used.

Osvaldo Villar

I am an editor, teacher, and social media manager at http://charlieswines.com/ currently living in Occitania, Francia. My interests range from education & wine events. I am also interested in food, gastronomy, football, and baseball.