champagne
champagne
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A late Christmas surge in consumer demand failed to prevent global Champagne sales dropping by 1.5% last year versus 2012, to 304m bottles, new figures show.

Weaker demand in Europe was the main reason for the dip, which follows a drop of around 4% in volume in 2012.

Value sales in 2013 fell by around 2% to €4.3bn, but this still represented the fifth highest annual total on record, Champagne Council CIVC said.

The drop in worldwide volume sales came in spite of a rally in December, traditionally a strong period for Champagne. During the final month of the year, global volumes rose by 8% on the same period of 2012.

Over 2013 as a whole, Champagne sales to countries beyond the European Union rose by 3.2% to 63m bottles. Volumes dropped by 2.3% in France, to 167m bottles.

Written by Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.