Here’s the news about Champagne for this week
The World Travels Awards prize for the best cellar visit in Champagne went to Champagne GH Mumm for the second year running.
Like several other famous champagne houses, the founders of GH Mumm were of German origin- they were three brothers, in fact, from an already successful family of wine makers in Cologne.
The bothers founded GH Mumm in 1847 and over its nearly two hundred year history, it has grown into one of the top five brands in the world. Since 2005 it has been part of the Pernod-Ricard wines and spirits group.
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A transatlantic squabble
I had intended to send out this bulletin on Tuesday but evelopments on one particular issue lead me to delay things for a couple of days
I’m talking of course of the thing that has been keeping wine lovers in both France and the USA on tenterhooks for some weeks and that is the ongoing squabble between the presidents of the two countries about taxation.
By way of background, if you haven’t been following the story, in response to a law passed by the French parliament that will increase taxes on several American tech companies and which President Trump see as unfair and unwarranted, he is threatening to slap a 100% tax on imports of many European products including French wine and champagne.
The results would mean prices rises for consumers in America, a probable drop in consumption of European wines and a dramatic effect on wine makers in France and importers and distributors in the USA. In fact it would be a lose / lose for the wine trade in both countries but will this concern bring a change of heart from President Trump. We should know by the end of January if a solution to the issue can be found.
The good news, announced yesterday is that the two sides have agreed to go on discussing the problem over the coming year in order to find a solution. That doesn’t mean that the problem has entirely gone away, but it does mean that there’s no immediate threat of higher tariffs and higher champagne prices in the USA
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Putting on the style
Moët et Chandon was the champagne of choice at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles and interestingly enough they chose to serve a cocktail and to use coupe glasses.
The cocktail is called the Moët Golden Hour and is made from Moët Imperial Brut, fresh pineapple juice and pink grapefruit-infused vodka, garnished with pineapple smoked salt.
Sounds tempting and it certainly looks appealing (although I am not quite sure where I can find pineapple smoked salt – but that’s Hollywood for you)
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What the figures say
Every month the Comité Champagne n Epernay publishes the shipment figures for the year to date. They show the number of bottles shipped out from Champagne to markets all over the world and although they are not the same as champagne consumption, they are one indicator of the health of the champagne. Industry.
The figures latest figures (to the end of November) suggest that the annual total in 2019 will be just under 300 million bottles. This may sound like a lot, but in fact, full year shipments haven’t been below 300 million since 2009, so the latest figures are not that encouraging, although a closer look at the situation reveals many nuances
On a more positive note:
- Rosé champagne is seeing very strong growth in many markets and it’s not just popular amongst the ladies. Some reports suggest that more and more men are choosing rosé champagne.
What about you? Are you a convert to rose champagne and if so, do you prefer rosé d’assemblage or rosé de saignée?
Not sure of the difference? You might want to check out My Champagne Expert
- Despite the decline in volume, the value of champagnes shipments is at an all-time high of €5 billion
- In a reversal of the trend of the past few years, it’s Grower Champagnes that have grown in 2019 (so far) whilst sales by the Maisons and the Cooperatives have both fallen.
- Last but not least, champagne shipments to almost all markets outside the UK and France are growing well, however since these two are the biggest markets by volume, the falling sales there have a disproportionate effect on the overall picture.
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That’s all for this bulletin. Look out for more news about champagne as it comes.