Prosecco is enjoying good growth in the UK

Cava is losing heavily to Prosecco in the UK off-trade as sales for the Spanish sparkling wine dropped by 11% in the past year, new figures have shown.

Cava's off-trade sales fell to GBP18.6m (US$29.1m) in the 12 months to 18 July, according to IRI date released today. In the same period, Prosecco sales jumped by 72% to GBP338m.
Cava also lost 16% of its volumes while Prosecco added 79%.

Champagne also struggled against the strength of Prosecco, increasing sales by just 1.2% in the 12-month period with volumes dipping by 0.4%.

IRI's head of beer, wine & spirits insight, Toby Magill, said: "Prosecco is a fashionable drink that provides a cheaper and excellent quality alternative to Champagne. It’s no wonder that it now outpaces Champagne in value and volume and is being chosen above Champagne at weddings."

The figures further confirm strong UK growth for Prosecco, which leapt by 61% in off-trade value terms last year, according to Lanson International's annual Champagne category report. However, Prosecco growth is so far confined to a few Western markets, notably Italy, Germany, the UK and the US.

Today's IRI figures showed that the top two best-selling Champagnes brands in the UK, Moet Chandon and Lanson, "had good years, suggesting that shoppers are turning away from lower-tiered products".

Magill said: "Champagne brands will need to focus on helping shoppers see the value of their premium brands."

Why are Champagne houses not worried about the rise of Prosecco? Click here