Australia’s Champagne market on the rise

Sales of Champagne in Australia are steadily growing through the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Endeavour Group’s (EDG) direct import Champagne buyer.

Anne-Charlotte Ferrari says what EDG is seeing is a steady rise in Champagne sales across its retailers.

“Champagne sales are growing steadily, and what we have seen since the pandemic [began] is that whenever restrictions ease, Champagne sales increase as people want to celebrate coming together with friends and family with the French fizz,” said Ferrari.

“We’ve particularly seen an increase in sales in less well-known and boutique Champagnes.

“Across BWS and Dan Murphy’s stores, we range over 220 different Champagnes, so there are plenty to try!

“Before COVID-19, Champagne lovers would explore new Champagne styles and brands in bars and restaurants, but they’ve instead taken to discovering different Champagnes at the comfort of their homes and gardens.”

Australia is currently positioned as Champagne’s sixth biggest export market, according to Ferrari.

“Australia is a big market for Champagne, it is the #6 export market and is experiencing a nice growth, so most Champagne producers would be looking at Australia right now,” said Ferrari.

“In 2020, Australia was also one of the few markets worldwide where sales of Champagne were growing due to COVID-19’s impacting drastically on other key markets like the US.”

As Champagne is exclusively an import, like all wine producers, Champagne producers are having to work around global shipping delays due to the ongoing shipping container shortage.

“Like all wine producers globally, Champagne producers are working proactively to ensure there are bottles on shelves, including making sure orders are placed earlier than usual to compensate for delays,” said Ferrari.

Champagne remains one of the world’s most revered wine styles, Ferrari says. To coincide with Champagne’s market growth in Australia, one of France’s most popular labels is now being made more widely available through EGD’s retailers.

“If you order a glass of Champagne in a bar in Paris, you will likely be served a glass of Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte,” said Ferrari.

Ferrari was born and raised in the Champagne region of France, and says she always has a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte (pronounced Foy-uaht) in the fridge at her Sydney home.

“Although there are some fantastic Aussie sparklings, for me personally, nothing beats a Champagne when it comes to celebrating a special occasion,’ she said.

“Even the most affordable bottle has taken at least 15 months to make, so thanks to the very strict production rules, you are pretty much guaranteed to pick a beautiful Champagne that will surprise and delight even if you don’t know it or have never tasted it before.

“Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte is the ‘house Champagne’ of France because it is consistently well-made, is incredible value for the quality of Champagne and you support thousands of grapegrowers by enjoying it,” she added.

Nicolas Feuillatte champagnes have, until now, been hard to find in Australia, Ferrari says, but are now available in Dan Murphy’s stores across the country.

When it comes to style, Ferrari describes Nicolas Feuillatte as delicate, precise and elegant, reflecting the savoir-faire of chief winemaker Guillaume Roffiaen, a master in the art of blending.

“It is a light, almost ethereal Champagne and pairs perfectly with a cheese platter, seafood or simply on its own,” she said.

Nicolas Feuillatte operates as a cooperative model and is the largest in France; one third of grapegrowers in the Champagne region are members.

“This means that the Champagne house has access to a wide palette of premium grapes from thousands of growers,” said Ferrari.

Nicolas Feuillatte is the number one selling Champagne in France and has been for more than 10 years, and is the third best-selling Champagne in the world.

 

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