In 2025, a total of 266 million bottles of Champagne were sold worldwide. This represents a decline of two percent compared to 2024 (271.4 million bottles), as reported by the umbrella organization Comité Champagne. Compared to the record year 2022 (325.5 million bottles), the decline is even over 18 percent. Thus, deliveries are at their lowest level since 2001 (262.7 million bottles), except for 2020, the year of the Corona pandemic (245 million bottles). The business at the end of the year was still better than expected in the summer. In August, deliveries were almost seven percent below the previous year's level.

While the decline in exports is limited to 0.8 percent or 1.2 million bottles, the largest part of the decline is attributed to France itself. There, the quantity fell by around four million to 114 million bottles. In 2010, 185 million bottles of Champagne were sold in France.

The general political and economic situation is cited as reasons. There are fewer occasions to open a bottle of Champagne. However, the enormous price increases of recent years also contribute to the restraint. In a conversation with the British trade magazine The Drinks Business about a year ago, Charles Philipponnat from Champagne Philipponnat**** said: "The price of Champagne has increased by 20 to 25 percent in three years, and that is also a reason for the decline." Charles-Armand de Belenet, director of Bollinger*****, pointed out that prices are now even higher during discount promotions than before the pandemic. "For a strong brand that has not offered promotional discounts for three years, a promotion seems like a great offer. Even if the promotional price is still higher than in 2019."

Average Champagne prices have fallen by around twelve percent worldwide over the past three years. Expensive prestige cuvées are increasingly being replaced by more affordable non-vintage Champagnes. Cheaper alternatives like Prosecco are currently seeing significant sales increases.

(al; Image: 123rf)

Source:The Drinks Business