Tag: Champagne

THE COMITÉ CHAMPAGNE’S LONDON TASTING GETS NEW NAME AND NEW VENUE

Françoise Peretti, Director of the UK Champagne Bureau has confirm that the Annual Champagne Tasting has now been rebranded as “The Official #Champagne Experience Day.”  The event is officially planned for March 29 and will be held at the art and design college Central Saint Martins in King’s Cross.

The venue has good natural light with massive space, covering more than 800m2.

As for the content of the newly-rebranded event, Peretti said that the Comité Champagne would be introducing three tutored masterclasses to run alongside the tasting, and would be expanding the themed central tasting table to reflect the major stylistic trends of Champagne.

As well, there will be a free-pour tasting area that will increase to cover three types of Champagne, with vintage and rosé both confirmed, although the third theme is yet to be decided.

Central to the event, like previous Comité Champagne tastings in London, will be over sixty tables for the major brands to showcase their latest releases.

In terms of target audience, Peretti said that the day would be designed to attract buyers from the off- and on-trade, as well as media from trade and consumer press, along with those from both digital and printed publications.

According to Peretti, a particular focus this year will be writers from lifestyle, travel and environmental media following the acceleration in wine tourism and sustainable viticulture in Champagne prompted by the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing for the region, which was achieved in July 2015.

She also announced that the Comité Champagne was planning a “stand alone” event specifically for wine educators, which she said was necessary to meet their particular needs.

Here is an overview of the changes:

  • The Annual Champagne Tasting has been rebranded as The Official #Champagne Experience Day;
  • While it will retain its slot in the month of March, it will be held on 29 March – two weeks later than its usual timing;
  • The Official #Champagne Experience Day will be held at art and design college Central Saint Martins in King’s Cross;
  • The event will keep the individual brand tables, but will introduce three themed central tables reflecting the key styles of Champagne in growth, including vintage and rosé;
  • The revamped tasting will include more content, such as three tutored Champagne masterclasses, with space for up to 40 attendees at each one; and
  • The Comité Champagne is planning a standalone event to address the specific needs of wine educators.

PIPER-HEIDSIECK RETURNS TO THE 2017 OSCARS WITH LIMITED EDITION MAGNUMS

 

On the heels of yesterday’s 89th Oscars nominations announcement, Piper-Heidsieck, the revered Champagne house, announced its return to the red carpet as the Champagne to be served during the 2017 Academy Awards season.

To honor this partnership, Piper-Heidsieck has created a limited-edition magnum to be poured exclusively at the ceremony and Governors Ball. An exceptional bottle for an exceptional night, the Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut magnum is enrobed in red and features a design of gold film that encircles the bottle.

The 2017 Academy Awards season marks the third year of a long-term partnership between Piper-Heidsieck and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“On behalf of Piper-Heidsieck, I want to congratulate all the nominees for this great recognition by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,” said Benoit Collard, global executive director of Piper-Heidsieck. “Piper-Heidsieck has a long and rich association with cinema and is proud to return to the Oscars, the ultimate arbiter of cinematic achievement in film.”

In addition to the awards ceremony on February 26, Piper-Heidsieck will be poured at Academy events in Los Angeles, New York and London, including the Oscars Nominees Luncheon on February 6.

Get red carpet ready for Oscars® night with Piper-Heidsieck! #PiperReady

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.

Champagne Cheers! Drinking Champagne Is Surprisingly Good For You

imgresThe list of the benefits of champagne is long and keeps growing. Already well-known as heart healthy, champagne in moderation might help you lose weight, reduce forgetfulness, boost your immunity, and help prevent bone loss.

Here are six reasons to stock up on champagne for the holiday season:

Heart Health

Champagne is just as healthy as a glass of red wine. Most of the champagne production is made from red and white grapes which contains resveratrol. This is an important antioxidant that prevents damage to your blood vessels, reduces bad cholesterol, and prevents blood clots.

Champagne also contains polyphenol antioxidants, which further protects the heart. This helps to reduce the risk of heart problems and strokes.

It can lower your risk of diabetes

A 2009 study in Canada showed that all wines, including champagne, can lower your risk of contracting diabetes by 13%.

It can prevent dementia

A glass or two of champagne has been known to prevent the onset of dementia. Some recent research found that the risk was almost halved for those who drank moderately.

It will keep you sharp

Research from the University of Columbia has shown that champagne contains proteins that are beneficial for your short-term memory. As well, a study from Reading University in 2013 states that three glasses of bubbles per week can help improve it.

It boosts your mood

We all know that light-headed buzz that you get from a glass of Champagne. It’s not just because of the alcohol, champagne contains magnesium, potassium and zinc which are all natural mood boosters.

Calories

Champagne contains less calories than red and white wine. A standard flute of champagne contains approximately 80 calories; whereas red and white wine which around120 calories per glass.

Champagne is good for you in moderation, of course!

From the famous words of Sir Winston Churchill:

“A single glass of Champagne imparts a feeling of exhilaration..a bottle produces the opposite.”