Over the last decade, the broader wine world has shed a good bit of its elitism, an act that many have referred to as a democratization of wine. Champagne is different. Champagne is about luxury, both aspirational and far-beyond. Champagne is about globally recognized brands with a handful of dominant producers, something rare in the otherwise highly scattered wine world – yes, Grower Champagne is having a moment amongst wine geeks, but the average consumer knows nothing about this phenomenon.
In other words, Champagne purchases often resemble luxury goods purchases, which leads us to the question answered by the infographic below — what Champagne brands are America’s wealthiest households drinking?
Two quick notes:
- ‘Other’ refers to answers outside the scope of the survey’s question format, which was “Which of the following brands of wine/Champagne/sparkling wine do you drink or serve in an average month?”
- Korbel and Domaine Chandon are California sparkling wines, not Champagnes.