No question about it: 2020 and 2021 were exceptional years, thanks to the Covid pandemic. Exceptional, but not in a good way, officials of the Champagne Bureau said in a Zoom press conference. “Champagne sales collapsed during this difficult time,” they said, blaming lockdowns around the world. They thought it would take seven or eight years for Champagne sales to recover but the sales did better than expected. The product, they said, was able to withstand the crisis.
The 2020 harvest was exceptional, completing a trilogy of good years. “It was the earliest harvest in Champagne history, and the quality was exceptional.” The next year, 2021, “began almost normal, then, all of a sudden, there was an explosion in shipments,” with shipments rising 8% from the 2019 level to 320 million bottles. Shipments to the U.S. reached a record, shipments to the UK were almost back to 31 million bottles. Australia exceeded expectations, the officials said. There was only one down note: The harvest was only 73% of demand, “but we can meet demand because of reserves.”
Champagne growers and producers are working to reduce the environmental impact of the sector, and are aiming for a 75% reduction in CO2 emmissions by 2075. With global warming appearing to be a fact, the producers are seeking to develop some climate-resistant varities that will enable them to produce quality wine in the future, they said.