The champagne market - UK

Champagne is a sparkling wine made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France using three main grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meuniere and Chardonnay. These grapes are fermented to obtain a wine that contains about 10% alcohol by volume. Champagne is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for which the production process is strictly regulated. Various countries can produce sparkling wines similar to Champagne, but none can be sold or labeled as Champagne. Champagne faces competition from wines from France such as Alsace and Loire Cremants, Italian Prosecco and Spanish Cava, and to a lesser extent from English sparkling wines. The United Kingdom is the third largest consumer of Champagne in the world in 2022. It has recently been overtaken by the United States in terms of value and volume. The year 2020 was the year of the health crisis that started a very sharp decline in Champagne sales in the UK. The entry into force of the Brexit on January 1, 2021 then generated many uncertainties on Champagne imports to the UK. But despite this situation, Champagne sales are up in the UK, which is a good sign for the year 2023 although caution is still required.