Champagne in the News

August 1, 2024 — Champagne is in the news with falling sales, a ship wreck discovery, and a new bottle that reduces carbon footprint coming on the market soon:

Falling Sales

According to the business networks, Champagne sales are down 15.2% over this time last year and the slump is worldwide.

The CFO of LVMH, which owns brands like Louis Vuitton and Moët et Chandon, suggests that maybe it has to do with consumers not feeling happy enough to celebrate. Champagne is regarded as a celebratory drink at big occasions like weddings, job promotions, a new home and other happy gatherings. Apparently everywhere people are feeling gloomy, worried about inflation and geopolitical uncertainty. A glass of fizz just isn’t on their radar or budget.

No doubt there are several reasons for Champagne’s sales decline, but perhaps we should all cheer up, pop a cork or two and clink glasses with friends as we count our blessings.

Shipwreck Found Loaded with 175 Year-Old Champagne

Imagine finding a shipwreck that everyone thought was a fishing boat, and it’s loaded with more than 100 unopened Champagne bottles, ceramic mineral water bottles and porcelain items from the mid-19^th century. Two divers from Baltictech diving group from Poland just had that wonderful experience in the Baltic Sea south of Sweden.

The identity of sunken craft is unknown at this time but its cargo is of enormous interest. The origin of the large cache of Champagne is also unknown but the mineral water is identified as coming from a German producer called Selters that is still in business. The manufacturer of the ceramic containers for the mineral water is also still in business. Both companies will certainly be searching records from the mid-19^th Century to try to identify the shipment’s destination. Mineral water was regarded as medicinal in those days and a luxury only the very rich and royalty could afford. The cargo may have been destined for Tsar Nicholas 1 of Russia in St. Petersburg or Sweden’s royal household.

The Champagne appears to be in good condition and possibly produced between 1850 and 1867 according to markings on the shipping containers. The wreckage and cargo have survived well because in that location the temperature of the sea water is constant, it is very dark and there are no currents.

World’s Lightest Champagne Bottle Developed in France

A French bottle manufacturer has produced the world’s lightest Champagne bottle. The new bottle, which took four years to test, weighs 800 grams compared to the usual 835 grams. Wow. Really? The difference of 35 grams equals 1.2 ounces so it hardly sounds like something to get excited about. However, France alone produces more than 300 million bottles of Champagne a year so that’s quite a few 1.2 ounces. Verallia, the company that makes the glass, says it reduces the carbon footprint by 4% during production.

When a Champagne bottle is filled with wine, a second fermentation occurs resulting in pressure that is approximately three times the pressure of a car tire. It is also the reason there’s a wire cage called a “muselet” over the cork of a Champagne bottle to stop the cork popping off.

Verallia will share its blueprint with other glass manufacturers and the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) to further develop the bottle standard and assist the industry in decarbonization efforts.