There was a lot to celebrate in 2022. For many, the worst of the pandemic restrictions and lockdowns were in the rearview mirror and the world felt like it was slowly returning to something close to normal. However, it looks like we all celebrated a little too hard, with experts in the Champagne business predicting that record sales last year could result in a shortage of French bubbles in 2023.
According to the Comité Champagne, the region shipped 326 million bottles of the good stuff last year, up 1.6% from the record-breaking 2021 year when 322 million bottles were shipped around the world. This relentless demand for fizz is likely to cause shortages in the future according to Michel Drappier, the head of the family-run Drappier Champagne, telling the BMF new station, “we haven’t got enough champagne to sell”.
When you consider the demand is also paired with a mandated 20% drop in Champagne production during the pandemic slowdowns of 2020, the problems of supply are only likely to get worse in the years to come. So if you worked your way through a bottle or two from your favourite Champagne house over the New Year’s Eve celebrations, it might be worth stocking up to make sure you’ve got something to welcome in 2024 with.
