Champagne Archives

Another Five Star Review – The Ultimate Guide to Champagne

“What a grand accomplishment, Liz. There is so much practical information in your book that I do not find in other books about Champagne. So much so that I cannot think of any aspect of Champagne you do not cover. Not only do you give the reader the basics of Champagne, its history and buying and serving tips but you remember the traveler to the region with information about what Champagne houses to visit and what else there is to see and do.

I send you every good wish that your book will be a smashing success, and I hope we have the opportunity to raise a glass of bubbly to that!”

Eunice Fried
Director of the Annual International Airline Wine Competition
GLOBAL TRAVELER Magazine

CHAMPAGNE SHIPMENTS DROP 2%

Champagne shipped a total of 306.6 million bottles in 2016, a decline of 2% from 2015.

According to the estimates released by Comité Champagne this past week, Champagne shipments worldwide, including the French market, fell by 6 million bottles in the past 12 months compared to the same period in 2015, when the region shipped a total of 312.5m bottles.

The final figure of 306.6m for 2016 means that Champagne sales have now dropped back below 2014’s total, which amounted to 307.1m bottles, taking the region even further from its record, which was achieved ten years ago in 2007, when it shipped almost 338.8m bottles (see figures below).

Explaining the fall in the number of bottles shipped in 2016, Jean-Marie Barillère, who is president of the Union des Maisons de Champagne, told Drinks Business that the decline was a result of falling sales in the French and British markets.

“The total decrease has been done by France and England,” he said.

As much as two thirds of the 6m global decline can be attributed to France alone, which sold 4m fewer bottles in 2017 – last year’s domestic market for Champagne totaled 158m bottles, compared to 162m in 2016.

Meanwhile, Barillère recorded that Champagne shipments to the UK alone had fallen by around 3m bottles, in contrast to other European nations such as Spain and Italy, which, he said, had enjoyed increases, meaning that the EU (excluding France) accounted for 77.5m bottles in 2016, down from 80.2m in 2015.

Outside its domestic market and Europe, Champagne did enjoy growth in 2016, but with a modest 0.5% increase, this represented an extra 600,000 bottles from 70.3m in 2015 to 70.9m last year.

Although the figures for value have yet to be released, Barillère said that the total would be down by 1-2% due to exchange rates, although he stressed that 2017 would be Champagne’s second highest ever year for turnover, having set a new record in 2016, when it reached €4.75 billion.

Indeed, if the drop was the full 2%, a total of €4.65bn for 2016 would still surpass the previous record set in 2007, when sales reached €4.56bn prior to the global financial slowdown.

The decline in shipments for 2016 has surprised some in the region, particularly as the yields set in June last year for the 2016 harvest were designed to deliver a production of 315m bottles, slightly higher than the shipment total for 2015.

Usually the yields are set to bring about a supply of Champagne that is similar if not a bit higher than the current demand.

Explaining why the yields were set to produce 315m bottles, Michel Letter, managing director of Mumm and Perrier Jouët, told db that the global market for Champagne was looking more promising in May and June last year when the yields were set*, adding that the French and UK markets had declined more than expected, while the US had not risen as much as many in Champagne had initially thought.

Summing up, he admitted, “We were a bit optimistic”.

* The yield for the 2016 harvest was set in June at 9,700 kilos per hectare with a further 1,100kg/ha to be taken from the reserve at the start of February. This produces approximately 283m bottles from the harvest with a further 32m bottles coming from the reserve, making a total production of 315m bottles.

Figures from the Comité Champagne for 2016, with % change compared to 2015:

Total shipments for 2016: 306.6m bottles (down 1.9%)

Total revenue (estimate) €4.65 billion (down 2%)

France: 158.1 million bottles (down 2.3%)

EU countries (other than France): 77.5 million bottles (down 3.3%)

Exports outside the EU: 70.9 million bottles (up 0.5%)

Champagne global shipments over the past 11 years (volume, bottles)

2006: 321.8m

2007: 338.8m

2008: 322.6m

2009: 293.3m

2010: 319.5m

2011: 323.0m

2012: 308.6m

2013: 305.0m

2104: 307.1m

2015: 312.5m

2016: 306.6m

Champagne global shipments over the past 11 years (value, Euros)

2006: 4.179bn

2007: 4.558bn

2008: 4.440bn

2009: 3.728bn

2010: 4.108bn

2011: 4.408bn

2012: 4.382bn

2013: 4.365bn

2104: 4.500bn

2015: 4.750bn

2016: 4.650bn

Sources: The Drinks Business – January 2017, and
Comité Champagne (CIVC)

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/01/champagne-shipments-drop-2-to-306-6m-bottles/

The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards Champagne Cocktail is Revealed

Jimmy Fallon, the host of the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards and other celebrities and guests will be sipping “The Moët Diamond”.

Actress Olivia Culpo, the created of The Moët Diamond was in Beverly Hills on Tuesday to unveil the cocktail she created for the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards – here it is direct from the source:

The Moët Diamond

3 ounces Moët Imperial Brut Champagne

½ ounce orange liqueur

2 dashes cherry bitters

1 rock candy stick

Preparation: Pour orange liqueur into champagne flute and add dash of cherry bitters. Gently pour chilled champagne.

Served: Straight up, without ice

Garnish: Rock candy stick and orange zest

While you are sipping Moët Diamond here’s everything you need to know about the 74th annual show that honors the best in TV and film.

It airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC

The show, takes place at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., and will air live from coast to coast. E! will have a Red Carpet Live arrival special starting at 7 p.m. ET, and Ryan Seacrest will begin NBC’s pre-show coverage at 6 p.m ET.

You can stream the show only if…

... you have a cable subscription. You need to select your TV provider to watch NBC from a streaming device. The red carpet will stream on Twitter starting at 6 p.m. ET.

Five New Year’s Wine Resolutions for 2017

Happy New Year Wine Lovers!

Here are five New Year’s wine resolutions:

Don’t drink bad wine, life is too short.
Experiment with food and wine pairing.
Expand your wine knowledge by reading or taking courses.
Drink champagne throughout the year, not only on special occasions.
Explore one of your favorite wine regions this year!

News Release: Liz Palmer’s The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is now being recognized as the “The Champagne Bible for ALL wine lovers.”

For Immediate Release 09/12/2016

Liz Palmer’s The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is now being recognized as the “The Champagne Bible for ALL wine lovers.”

Toronto, Canada: One of North America’s leading experts on Champagne, Liz Palmer wrote The Ultimate Guide To Champagne with a strong personal passion for Champagne and the region

This ground-breaking book has received critical acclaim by the industry and promises to wow the reader.

There is much more to champagne than the drink – Champagne is named after the region where it is grown, fermented and bottled. This essential guide takes you to this region, explores its culture and honors its history.

The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is highly recommended for everyone, from beginners to experts. It’s a remarkable point of reference into which any wine lover or professional can dip in and browse.

“The Champagne Bible for ALL wine lovers.”

Unlike any other book about Champagne, The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is the most comprehensive and visually stunning guide you’ll ever come across – in these pages you’ll discover: 316 pages including over 220 Engaging Photos, Maps, Detailed Charts, and Historical Anecdotes.

Liz Palmer’s The Ultimate Guide To Champagne has garnered praise from numerous influential wine journalists, and other industry peers:

“Liz, What a beautiful book!”

Frédéric Mairesse — Managing Director, Champagne Barons de Rothschild

“Liz, What a huge and fantastic work! Your book is a perfect achievement. Very complete, beautifully designed, clear and well written. It will be a “must have” for wine lovers but not only them. Sure it will have the biggest success. My warmest congratulations for this remarkable contribution to Champagne prestige.”
Representative of Comité Champagne
“Amongst well-known champagne authors like Michael Edwards and Tom Stevenson from the UK we can now add Liz Palmer from Canada. The ‘Ultimate Guide to Champagne’ is so comprehensive that Liz must has lived and worked like a monk the past years when she wrote it.

The ‘Ultimate Guide to Champagne’ has 22 chapters and three appendices. Nothing has been taken for granted – All facts have been checked and double checked. The book has topics on sustainability, economics, wine tourism, harvest, women in champagne, etiquette and style – whatever you are looking for, you will find it in this book!

It is well-written and is perfect for your nightstand! If it’s not on your nightstand, put it somewhere so you have easy access! I really loved it!”
Dr. Charlotte van Zummeren WA – winebusiness.nl,
International Wine Judge – Netherlands

“You can judge this book by its cover. The title might be considered a hostage to fortune but it is not an idle boast, this really is a thorough and complete guide to Champagne the region and champagne the wine. You can ‘cover-judge’ it further by the simple, stylish design, which heralds similar style in the layout and presentation of every page that follows. It’s classy and elegant, easy on the eye and easy to navigate too.

Liz Palmer is clearly an enthusiast whose love for all things champagne shines through on every page. That enthusiasm has served her well, for the task of researching and collating such a massive compendium of facts and figures, tales and anecdotes must have been daunting. To then present it in such a user-friendly fashion is another achievement. The Ultimate Guide is never weighty or intimidating, you can open it at any page, dip in for five minutes – which will turn into an hour – and each time you will come up with another nugget: a fun fact, a historical anecdote, the name of a favoured restaurant, a good place to stay a few nights.

This is not an in-depth treatise weighed down with tinder dry statistics and the like, but rather an impressive assemblage of information and detail that is particularly suited to anybody planning to visit the region. It is commendably thorough and in time it will surely find a place on the bookshelves of all champagne enthusiasts. Liz Palmer’s Ultimate Guide to Champagne does exactly what it says on the tin. And then some.”
Raymond Blake — Wine Editor, Food & Wine Magazine, Ireland & Author, Breakfast in Burgundy.

“Your book is really impressive – Through this book Liz shows us that the economic success of Champagne is based on passionate people, a long history, landscapes and cities, a real and special “art de vivre!”
After reading this book you will never taste a glass of Champagne the same way”
Thierry Sabon
Président de la Fédération des Syndicats de Producteurs de l’AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape

“This is an invaluable reference for the serious student as well as the everyday wine lover, filled as it is with vital statistics and fun facts. Liz has put an enormous amount of work into this book and has striven to include all sorts of information such as places to stay and eat which makes this a one-stop shop, a must-carry for anyone travelling to the region. There is a wealth of information on the region, and the problems it faces, as well as advice on buying, storing and serving and much, much more besides.

I have to confess that I reviewed the soft-copy of this so I don’t know how much it actually weighs but it must be close to being worth its weight in gold in terms of the information contained therein. Well done, Liz – now take a well-earned rest with a glass of some of the finest bubbles you have in your cellar!”
Dermot Nolan MW (Master of Wine) – Dublin

“What a titanic work you’ve done putting this book together! Everything and more that one needs to know about Champagne!”

“The Ultimate Guide to Champagne is exhilarating like ten million Champagne bubbles in your glass. Unlike many books of its genre, the guide urges for action, be it opening a bottle or planning a journey to the world’s most fabulous wine region. Liz Palmer’s fact-packed pages feature plenty of practical tips, curiosities and even style advice ensuring that the book will be a Champagne lover’s best companion on many different occasions.”
Eleonora Scholes, spaziovino.com, Publisher
Member of The Grand Jury Européen – Russia

“That’s what I called The Ultimate Guide! This book must inspire both amateurs and professionals. One could start reading any page and end up by the whole book. From history, science facts and health benefits through tourism and collecting to christening boats, corporate functions, weddings… Vinously good buy!”
Dr. Martin Kristek – Czech Republic

Critics and wine lovers hailed the first book by Liz Palmer, as one of the best Champagne books on the market.

The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is available on Amazon, Kindle, and select book stores.

Ends For further information, images, electronic or hard copy, please contact Liz Palmer at liz@liz-palmer.com or visit www.liz-palmer.com.

Note to editors:

The Ultimate Guide To Champagne was published by Liz Palmer Media Group October 2016 Paris, New York and Toronto, Canada.

The book designer is Paris-based agency Hachetag Co. www.hachetag.com