Champagne price wars, French supermarket Champagne
French supermarket Champagne
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

It's been a rollercoaster ride for global Champagne sales since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, but official figures suggest consumer demand has been more stable in the last three years.

Worldwide Champagne sales hit a peak in 2007, at almost 340m bottles, just prior to the financial crisis that engulfed many of the Champenois’ key markets.

In 2007, there were frequent media reports about pending Champagne shortages, due to rising consumer demand. The Comite Champagne, named CIVC at the time, spoke confidently about a plan to expand the amount of land certified to produce grapes for France‘s premier sparkling wine.

But, last year it emerged that those plans had been put on ice, amid figures showing global demand for Champagne had levelled off. See the annual volume figures below for more details.

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.