Champagne exports in October were down by at least 20% in Europe, Japan, the US, Russia and China, according to the Champagne promotional arm, the CIVC. The drop is of course due to the evil credit crunch, but I suspect increased consumer confidence in other sparkling wines is also a factor.Drinkable Champagnes retail for well into double figures in the UK, whilst a decent Prosecco or Cava costs half as much. As the snobbery surrounding 'imitation' fizz disappears and consumers' wallets encourage them to focus on quality, Champagne will find it no longer has a stranglehold on the sparkling market.
Sparkling wines from Italy, Spain and the New World are getting better and better and can be produced more cheaply. Grapes tend to be machine harvested, the wine does not legally have to spend so long on its lees and secondary fermentation takes place in tanks rather than in the bottle. Champagne, on the other hand, is a premium product and producers should concentrate on quality, which includes selecting only the best grapes from low yielding vines.
