I'm givin' it all I've got, Captain. Any more, and these vines are going to blow sky high!"
Posted on 08/13/2007 11:37:59 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Britain faces a champagne shortage because vineyard owners in eastern France are refusing to sell tens of millions of bottles stocked in their cellars.
Their unwillingness to give up what they see as their retirement nest eggs has left the country’s most prestigious champagne houses struggling to keep pace with a rise in demand in the US and developing countries.
Champagne experts say that producers will soon be unable to supply emerging markets in Russia, China and India as well traditional customers in countries such as Britain.
Patrick Le Brun, head of the union of champagne vineyard owners, said that Britons would be the losers in that case. “If there isn’t enough to go around, the producers will prefer the places where there is growth,” he said.
Frédéric Cumenal, president of Moët & Chandon, said: “The industry has always succeeded in coping with demand. Today, it’s no longer the case. Yields are at a maximum and we will soon hit a wall.”
The champagne industry is a victim of commercial success, tight bureaucratic regulation and the deeply conservative mentality of those who grow its grapes.
Global sales have risen from 287 million bottles in 2002 to 321 million in 2006. They are likely to reach 330 million this year, with exports to Russia growing by 39 per cent, to China by 50 per cent and to India by 125 per cent. But only 32,600 hectares of vineyards are authorised to produce the black grapes for champagne.
Experts say that the maximum number of bottles to be wrung out of the land is 350 million – and many even doubt whether this can be attained. They say that the region’s grapes are already being pushed to the limit as owners await official approval to plant more vines in 2017.
The problem could be solved if grape growers sold the estimated 100 million bottles in their cellars. But they are reluctant to do so. The average grower in the Champagne region owns just 2.5 hectares of land.
These small, independent vineyard owners supply up to 90 per cent of the grapes. Their bounty has accumulated over the years as they put aside about 10 per cent of their harvest to sell when they retire. Mr Le Brun said that the custom was ancient and unlikely to be overturned without significant cash incentives. “Agricultural pensions are very poor in France and a lot of these people will lose more than 50 per cent of their revenue when they retire. So they keep back some of their champagne to sell.”
I thought that Champagne does not age well, not like a Bordeaux, for example.
There is a Chamgaigne that ages well, Cognac.
yitbos
I'm givin' it all I've got, Captain. Any more, and these vines are going to blow sky high!"
Great. We have a Global Fizz Problem. Someone tell Sharon Begley and Algore.
Cognac is brandy, isn’t it?
From Wiki:
Cognac, named after the town of Cognac in France, is a brandy produced in the region surrounding the town. It must be made from at least 90% Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, or Colombard grapes.
A cognac made from just the first two of these crus (with at least 50% from Grande Champagne) is called “Fine Champagne” cognac, although cognac has nothing to do with the sparkling wine Champagne. (”Champagne” coming in both cases from archaic words meaning chalky soil, a characteristic of both areas.)
Very true, but doesn't the article state that it is Champagne wine, not Cognac.
This offers a business opportunity to California vintners. Two-Buck Chuck to the rescue?
yitbos
"vineyard owners in eastern France are refusing to sell tens of millions of bottles stocked in their cellars.
Their unwillingness to give up what they see as their retirement nest eggs . . ."
Socialist 401K, dig your cellar deeper.
yitbos
Do not joke about fine brandy. Tain’t funny, McGee.
Now that is funny!
LLS
A chanmpagne shortage? What next - dijon mustard, crepes, goose liver paste? Guess we’ll have to get by on chili, hot dogs, beer, macaroni and cheese. You know - the good stuff! Ain’t no shortages prophesied there.
“Champagne” is the legal name of the stuff they make in a certain area of France. In California they can make it from the very same grapes (and they do) but they must call it “sparkling wine”. There’s plenty of that on the shelves, buy American!
“I thought that Champagne does not age well, not like a Bordeaux, for example.”
A lot of people like aged champagne. It’s popular in the UK. It brings out the toasty flavors.
IIRC, the closest CA vintners can come to calling their bubbly “Champagne” is to call it a “Champagne method” sparkling wine. I’m not into sparkling wines, but I understand that CA varieties are as good or better than anything the French produce.
They are indeed. They're also (mostly) a good deal less expensive
L
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.