Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Doing It Right: 2014 Was The Second Highest Year Ever For Champagne Consumption

Bubbly, champers, buble, bubbles, sparkling wine, MCC – call it what you want – it is the mother's milk for most women 18 and over and apparently we're drinking it by the barrel.

We all know the erroneous story of when Dom Perignon tasted the first Champagne…

Come quickly! I am tasting the stars!

Ah, Champagne. I have more of that stuff in me than blood, I swear to you. And after this past weekend I can tell you that the sales for 2015 are already sky high. But let’s quickly talk stats for last year, because 2014 was the second highest selling year for bubbly ever (seems 2007 is the year to beat).

An estimated 308 million bottles of Champagne were sold last year, which equates to about €4.5 billion. Well, bugger me.

With a growth of €200 million from 2013, it seems consumers have “traded up to higher priced Champagne”. Also, exports have helped with the increased quantities being sold.

I don’t know why exports went up in Europe. I mean, surely South Africans are drinking our very own, and SA’s number one MCC from Haute Cabriere? Or, perhaps it’s that the beautiful Pierre Jourdan can now be bought online?

Do not worry though, my little vibers. Because there was a decline in sales, it means they’re going to make MORE bubbly from the 2014 harvest. Best. News. Ever.

That means close to 310m bottles of Champagne should be produced.

Meep.

Check out Decanter