The volume of champagne sold last year decreased by 1.6%, ending the year at 297.5 million bottles, but the sector’s annual turnover went up by 2% to €5 billion, the Champagne Committee announced on Wednesday.
Exports outstripped domestic consumption for the second year running, amounting to 155.5 million bottles, 52.5% of the total, according to the committee, which is the former Comité interprofessionnel des vins de Champagne. The French market accounted for 141.5 million bottles, a 4% drop compared to 2018.
Sales to the European Union went up by 1%, while exports to the rest of the world registered slower growth (+0.7%).
In a context marked by heavy uncertainty on the primary export markets and a worrying macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, these results show the remarkable resilience of the champagne market, commented Jean-Marie Barillère, co-president of the Champagne Committee, representing the Champagne Houses, and Maxime Toubart, president of the Champagne Vintners Association.
The Champagne Committee is the trade association that represents the interests of both the Champagne Houses and the winegrowers.
The Champagne Houses continued to dominate the market in 2019, selling about 215 million bottles, but the winegrowers – individual vintners and cooperatives – have been gaining ground.
Winegrower champagne sales climbed by about 18% on the main export markets – the Americas and Asia – amounting to 3.4 million bottles. The cooperatives saw their sales increase by close to 7%, ending the year on 5 million bottles.
The Brussels Times
