Champagne News: Total shipments of Champagne in 2021 rose to 322 million bottles, an increase of 32% over 2020

The Champagne region and houses are celebrating after sales and exports set new records last year even as pandemic lockdowns forced many bars and restaurants to close.

Comité Champagne, a trade association representing over 16,000 winegrowers and 320 Champagne houses, said this week that France exported a record 180 million bottles of Champagne in 2021, an increase of 38% over 2020.

Global sales of Champagne also hit a record €5.5 billion (US$6.2 billion).

Comité Champagne said that total shipments rose 32% over the previous year to 322 million bottles as people found reasons to celebrate at home.

“With tourism and the staging of events still reduced due to the health crisis, there is room to believe that home consumption has taken up the slack,” the trade group said in a statement.

“Consumers have chosen to entertain themselves at home, compensating for the generally gloomy mood with new moments of conviviality and sharing,” they also added.

Detailed export data has not yet been released, but in 2020, the United Kingdom and the United States were the top foreign markets for champagne.

Champagne drinking popped back up to its pre-pandemic levels last year in France, with shipments increasing 25% to reach nearly 142 million bottles.

‘This recovery is a welcome surprise for the people of Champagne after a troubled 2020 (with figures down by 18%) impacted by the closure of main points of consumption and the shortage of celebratory events across the world,’ comments Maxime Toubart, president of the Syndicat général des vignerons and co-president of the Comité Champagne. He is otherwise pleased to note ‘the healthy state of the national market’.

Jean-Marie Barillère, president of the Union des Maisons de Champagne and co-president of the Comité Champagne, is delighted that ‘thanks to exports and the consumer’s devotion to fine cuvees, Champagne will reach a record turnover of more than 5.5 billion Euros*’. But he stresses ‘the average shipments in 2020-2021, at 280 million bottles and 4.9 billion Euros, remain under the pre-pandemic levels (300 million bottles, 5 billion Euros in 2019)’.
Afflicted by the health crisis in 2020 and challenging climatic conditions in 2021, Champagne now hopes that 2022 will open the way to a new cycle of growth.

#champagne #champagnelovers #champagneeconomics #champagneregion #comitechampagne
#cheers #wine #winelovers #celebrate #winenews #wineexports #reims #epernay #aube

Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is set to open February 14th

Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris confirms it will take place February 14 – 16 2022 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles and is all-set to greet the international wine and spirits industry in the best possible conditions.

The Vinexposium group’s flagship event will be the first major international gathering of the year. Highly awaited by the wine and spirits industry, which has been unable to meet up in Paris for nearly two years, Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris will welcome 2,800 exhibitors from 32 countries over three days. France will be widely represented with ramped up attendance by every region, all of which support this major export-focused exhibition and have jointly decided to go ahead with it as scheduled in February. Stakeholders across-the-board are very involved in the final preparation stages leading up to Paris next month and the teams at Vinexposium are redoubling their efforts to make Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris a highly effective tool for promoting market recovery.

“Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris has rapidly become an unmissable event that we are very much looking forward to! We are delighted to be able to take part in this major wine gathering in Paris next month, to meet up with our customers again and to boost our business in export markets”, is the reaction from Philippe Guigal, CEO of E. GUIGAL.

“February 14 this year is a long-awaited date in my diary, not for Saint Valentine but the return of a great European wine fair in Paris. Sorely missed last year, I eagerly await reconnecting with dear friends and suppliers and hunting out new great wines and relationships to build on for the year ahead. With an enormous array of excellent wine on show my only reservation is three days isn’t long enough”, comments John Chapman, Managing Director of The Oxford Wine Company.

Ongoing safety arrangements will be executed with utmost rigour to ensure the event runs seamlessly while providing the comfort and conviviality expected by attendees. Measures include a valid health pass (or vaccination pass depending on current regulations) which will be essential for accessing the event, along with mandatory face coverings. Digital access badges (e-badge) will be favoured and an enhanced cleaning process will be used in every area throughout the three-day event.

These conditions will enable all attendees to fully benefit from the extensive range of features at the 2022 exhibition, which will be punctuated by key areas and headline events. The programme has been designed to offer all industry members an optimised in-person experience with numerous masterclasses and tastings, multi-format talks by experts and inspiring personalities and popular themed areas – Be Spirits will honour spirits and mixology, Wine Tech Perspectives will allow attendees to dive deep into the heart of innovation and digitalisation in the industry and La Nouvelle Vague will highlight young winemakers and talents.

Vinexposium’s teams have a good handle on the development of the health situation and government regulations to ensure the event is a success.

For more information: wineparis-vinexpo.com

#vinexposiumconnect #vinexposium40 #celebration #globalevents #winesandspirits #winetrade
#wineevent #wine #winelovers #winetasting #wineparis #VinexpoParis #Paris #Parisevent #winelover #winelovers #instawine #winetime #vin #winestragram #winery #winebusiness #winefair #winepassion #whitewine #redwine #igersfrance #igersparis

BlockBar NFT Gifting Platform Launches with 300 Bottles of Penfolds Wine

BlockBar, the world’s first direct-to-consumer NFT platform for wine and spirits has just diversified further by launching a gifting capability comprised of 300 bottles of Penfolds.

This new initiative lets the BlockBar community gift a highly coveted collectible wine or spirit connect the physical and digital world. In fact, BlockBar says the market for investing in high-end collectible spirits, like Penfolds wine, has increased by 582 % in the last decade.

Sam Falic, co-founder of BlockBar, told Forbes about the platform’s extension which targets both crypto experts and beginners: “This is of great value to add to your digital portfolio, aside from the digital art you own, you can now own a digital bottle and build your digital bar which is also backed by physical assets.”

NFT (Non-fungible tokens) are currently popular (almost in every industry), from art to rare wine and spirits. Since its founding in 2018, BlockBar has allowed consumers to purchase asset-backed NFTs directly from brand owners, to burn, redeem or sell the physical product. The actual bottles are stored in a secured facility in Singapore. BlockBar also gives the chance to gift the physical product, and the NFT gifting platform is designed so that anyone can use it.

Penfolds wine estate has launched a limited edition NFT tied to its rare Magill Cellar 3 barrel of wine, available to purchase for $130,000.

Dov Falic, the other co-founder of BlockBar, explained: “All you need to know is that you are receiving a gift which is a physical bottle that is stored for you in a secure location; the fact that it’s built on blockchain or uses NFTs is the mechanism to prove provenance and ownership. You can take possession of the bottle anytime you want.”

BlockBar’s first NFT gift launches on 18 January 2022, with limited edition NFTs linked to 300 bottles of Penfolds Magill Cellar 3 2018, priced around 0.13 ETH ($467). The founders described the Australian producers’ rare wine as the highest quality and representative blend of the brand’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and “one of the most collectible and giftable wine brands in the world.”

When the NFT is purchased, the cryptographic version is stored securely on BlockBar with proof of authenticity held on the blockchain as a digital certificate of ownership. The recipient will receive an email with an invite to create or sign into an account and accept their NFT, receiving full ownership. The receiver now can choose to redeem the physical product, trade its NFT version within the BlockBar marketplace or store it in their virtual bar, all with no additional transaction fees.

The limited-edition NFT release includes a buyer experience: the first three people to purchase six bottles of NFT Penfolds Magill Cellar 3 2018 are invited to a private virtual session with Penfolds Chief Winemaker, Peter Gago, and will receive a personalized plaque for their wine gift box as well.

#wine #winelovers #BlockBar #wineinvestors #wineinvestment #winecollectors
#winecollector #wineenthusiast #finewines #winelife #luxurywine #womeninwine #penfoldswine #limitededition #NFT #NFTgifting

OnePoll Survey: Only 17% of Wine Drinkers Consume Wine the Right Way

When ordering a bottle of wine in a restaurant, it’s customary to receive some sort of presentation as well as a “first sniff, swirl, and sip” to make sure it’s to your liking. According to a new survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Woodbridge Wines, only 17 % of wine drinkers swirl and sniff the beverage before drinking it.

To obtain the results of this research, researchers polled over 2,000 United States respondents over the age of 21. Researchers found that 67 % of people believe that there are right and wrong ways to drink wine, but only 22 % believe proper wine etiquette greatly enhances their drinking experience.

“Just like everything in life, there are so many old-school, traditional rules in wine culture that people feel like they need to follow—swirling, sniffing, pairing,” says Serena Shrivastava, brand director for Woodbridge Wines. “We encourage everyone to play by their own rules instead and leave any judgement behind.”

Further studies concluded seven out of 10 respondents said they drink wine more than any other type of alcohol during the winter months, and perhaps surprisingly, 62% of men and 50% of women said they would choose wine over beer while watching sports.

#wine #winetrends #winelovers #winenews #wineresearch #instawine #winetasting #winetime
#mondaymood #mondayvibes #winerules

Wine Review: Drappier Carte d’Or Brut NV (37.5cl)

Champagne Drappier is one of my favourite Aube producers in many ways. I’m happy to say that I have personally met Andre, Michel, and Charline on numerous occasions, along with my son, daughter and daughter-in-law. This wonderful family all left warm and memorable impressions.

This dynamic independent house is currently run by the charmingly and hospitable 7th and 8th generations: father Michel, daughter Charline and sons Hugo and Antoine.

Drappier is based in Urville in the Côte des Bar comes has a wide range of rich lush full-flavoured cuvees and also make still wines.
Fact: Champagne Drappier was Charles de Gaulle’s favourite Champagne and Madame de Gaulle was a great friend of the Drappier family.

The house of Drappier is unusual in many ways: they are neither a Grands Marques house, nor a grower; they own 60 hectares, so they are technically both a domaine and negociant house. Drappier is also one of the most experimental in Aube. They often use no dosage, they are pioneering ‘sans soufre’ no sulphur fizz (sulphur sensitivity runs in the family) and focus on organic viticulture.

The cuvée Carte d’Or expresses the identity of the house directed by the family since 1808.

Tasting Notes:
The Drappier Carte d’Or expresses all the aromas of Pinot Noir; this constitutes at least 80% of the blend, along with Chardonnay 15 %, and Pinot Meunier 5 %.

This champagne has a great aromatic richness of melon, apple and red fruits. The palate is intense, with notes of apple, peaches and quince wrapped in a red-fruit veil. It’s full-bodied and long with a lovely texture, and complex mouthfeel.

91 Points

#champagne #champagnelover #winelover #cheers #toast #winetasting #champagnelover #winelovers #ChampagneMoment #SavoirFaire #champagnelovers #drappier #nodryjanuaryhere #cuvee #cartedor #madeinfrance