Champagne shipments to the United States shot up by 62% from 2020 to 2021, placing the U.S. second behind France among worldwide consumers of champagne, according to Comité Champagne’s year-end estimates.
The U.S. eclipsed the United Kingdom as the largest export market for Champagne, seeing a steeper rate of growth during 2021 and importing 34 million bottles compared to the U.K.’s 29 million.
Following a dip in Champagne sales in 2020 attributed to the pandemic’s onset, these numbers were well-received by natives of the wine territory.
“This recovery is a welcome surprise for the people of Champagne after a troubled 2020 (with figures down by 18%) impacted by the closure of main points of consumption and the shortage of celebratory events across the world,” Maxime Toubart, president of the Syndicat général des vignerons and co-president of the Comité Champagne, said in a press release.
According to a Reuters report, the demand also comes as a relief to producers who saw record-low output in 2021 due to frosts and mildew fungus attacks.
Union des Maisons de Champagne Chairman Jean-Marie Barillere told reporters that the increase in sales correlates to an increase in at-home drinking culture during the pandemic.
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