we find no reason to celebrate

If champagne is a kind of “thermometer” that reveals the mood of its consumers, as says Maxime Toubartdirector of the Champagne Committeewe do not live in particularly happy times. At least that’s what it suggests. the sales balance that French producers have just published and in which 2024 is painted in red, with “punctures” both in the national market and in exports.

These are not good times for champagne… not even alcohol.

A year with fewer toasts. For French champagne producers, 2024 has not been a particularly good year. At least if we look at the volume of boxes they have sold, both in their own country and internationally. They have clearly recognized this in their latest balance sheet. Les Vignerons de Champagne and Champagne Committeewhich brings together producers from the French wine region. In it they reveal that 9.2% fewer bottles were distributed last year than in 2023.

Is there more data? Yes. And they are not flattering for the sector. Specifically, they reveal that last year they distributed 118.2 million bottles in the French market, which represents a decline of 7.2% compared to the previous year. The trend was even worse in the export chapter, with 153.2 million units, 10.8% less than in 2023.

Interesting yes, surprising no. The data is interesting, but it will probably have surprised few in the sector. French winemakers have already a few months chaining together data that indicated that the general “photograph” of 2024 would not exactly be for framing.

In July the French luxury giant LVMH already warned of a 15% drop in champagne sales during the first half of the year and in the fall IWSR US Navigator noted a year-on-year decrease of 7% in sparkling wine sales from January to August in the US, with a not particularly good trend in the specific case of champagne. The data is significant because, as remember from the Champagne Committeethe United States is one of its main markets.

And what is the reason? For producers, these negative figures are basically explained by a mix between the economic and political context and a simple matter of sensations.

“Champagne is a true barometer of consumers’ mood. And this is not the time to celebrate, with inflationconflicts around the world and economic uncertainty,” reflects Maxime Toubartpresident of the Syndicat Général des Vignerons and co-president of the Champagne Committee before citing the expectation surrounding the future of French and American politics.

Press earrings. His statement was released last Saturday, on the eve of the return of Donald Trump to the White House amid promises (and threats) of duty. In France the scenario is also complex after having chained three prime ministers in just a few months: Gabriel Attal, the defenestrated Michel Barnier and François Bayrou. “The national market suffers the consequences of the gloomy prevailing political and economic context,” they regret from the producers association, which presents 16,000 winegrowers and 320 Champagne signatures.

looking back. At a general level, 2024 is not the first year that the sector says goodbye with negative data. Guardian remember that after the boom in demand for champagne that was registered in 2022, after the pandemic, the trend has been downward. If in 2022 326 million bottles were distributed, in 2023 there were 299, which left a drop of more than 8%.

“In the least favorable moments we must prepare for the future,” encourages David Chatillonpresident of Champagne Houses before claiming that Champagne production has demonstrated a “solid and sustainable” model. “Even in the face of adversity, it gives you confidence in the future.”

Beyond the “mood”. Although Toubart claims that champagne is “a barometer” of mood, there are reasons to think that other relevant factors are influencing the sector. As warned in August Vineteur, 2024 did not make it easy for the crops of the Champagne region due to a combination of climatic adversities, such as frost and hail storms; a noticeable drop in marketing and diseases that affected the vines.

The other key: alcohol. The French sector also deals with another challenge equally relevant: the competition exerted by more affordable alternatives to champagne, such as proseccohe sparkling english either crémantwhich have managed to become more competitive over recent years.

That’s without counting the data which suggest that Generation Z drink less alcohol than his predecessors and the effects of campaigns like ‘Dry January’that has arrived also to France. In fact, companies dedicated to the production of champagne are not the only ones facing a challenging outlook. In Bordeaux they have spoken openly about uproot thousands of vines and something that until not so long ago sounded taboo is being looked at with greater interest: the production of non-alcoholic wines.

Images | Midwst.Blur (Flickr) and Tristan Gassert (Unsplash)

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