Champagne sales sink because people don’t want to celebrate

The total number of Champagne shipments from France sank by almost 10% last year to 271 million bottles, marking the second consecutive year of declines.

Champagne sales have lost their pop as people around the world aren’t in the mood to say “cheers.” The total number of Champagne shipments from France sank nearly 10% last year to 271 million bottles, marking the second consecutive year of declines as inflation-weary consumers cut back and a generally glum mood permeates across the globe. That’s according to new report from Comité Champagne, a trade association representing more than 16,000 winegrowers and 320 Champagne houses, which painted a dour picture of the industry that aligns with sales of other alcoholic beverages. Maxime Toubart, co-president of the organization, said bluntly that this is “no time for celebration, with inflation, conflicts around the world, economic uncertainty and a political wait-and-see attitude in some of Champagne’s biggest markets,” including the US and France. Sales in France of the home-grown beverage also dipped 7%, to 118 million bottles, because the “domestic market is still suffering from the prevailing gloomy political and economic context,” the statement said. France held a snap election over the summer that resulted in a hung parliament. French luxury giant LVMH first signaled in July that 2024 was going to be a rough year for Champagne when it reported a 15% decline in sales of bubbly for the first half of the year.