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France's Champagne sales bounce back to reach €5.5bn

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
France's Champagne sales bounce back to reach €5.5bn
Bottles of French champagne are displayed for sale in a liquor store on December 3, 2019 in Arlington, Virginia. - The United States on December 2, 2019 threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in French goods in retaliation for a digital services tax it says is discriminatory. French wine and cheese are on the list of goods that could be targeted as soon as mid-January after a report from the US Trade Representative's office found the tax penalizes American tech companies like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. (Photo by Olivier Douliery / AFP)

French champagne sales rebounded last year to reach a record €5.5 billion as demand soared, particularly in English-speaking countries, producers said on Wednesday.

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Around 322 million bottles were sold in 2021, up 32 percent from the previous year, when shipments slumped 20 percent during Covid lockdowns worldwide, the Comite Champagne federation said in its preliminary estimates.

The French market saw a 25 percent jump with 142 million bottles sold, a return to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, while exports reached a record 180 million bottles on strong demand from English-speaking countries in particular.

Restocking by restaurants accounted for part of the growth, but the committee also said that with tourism and many restaurants still suffering, more people were drinking champagne at home.

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"Clients have decided to treat themselves at home and create new moments for conviviality and sharing, despite the morose atmosphere," it said.

The surge in demand caught some houses by surprise, with stocks temporarily running out for some - Dom Perignon, Moet and Chandon, and Ruinart saw shortages in Spain, for example.

The record sales came as champagne vineyards were hit with severe spring frosts followed by summer rains last year, which wreaked havoc on wine harvests across France.

But champagne producers traditionally keep millions of bottles locked away in their cellars to ensure steady supplies from one year to the next.

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