The year 2014 saw Champagne exports hit €4.5 billion, the second-higest ever for the French region.
In July, Champagne's growers agreed to release 400 kilogrammes per hectare from their reserves (which act as an insurance of product for years with poor harvests), resulting in a total exportation of 309.6 million bottles.
Shipments experienced a rise of one per cent on 2013.
The practice of reserving Champagne is common in the cases of non-vintage produce. As well as providing backup of supply, reserved Champagne acts as a barometer of quality with which to compare and contrast the fruits of different years' labour.
© 2014 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article written by Peter Donnelly.
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