Sparkling wine could see sales rise as much as 17.5% in the next four years as a result of marketing initiatives, reaching a total of US$25,044 million in 2007.
A report into the wine industry by the industry analyst Euromonitor found in that in 2002 champagne and sparkling wine sales showed signs of recovery, after two years of decline following the strong growth preceding the millennium. Both registered US dollar value decline over the period 1997 to 2002, due to a variety of factors including price-cutting, the greater availability of products through off-trade channels, and, in the case of other sparkling wine, growing sales of domestic products in developing markets.
However, the clearance of millennium stocks dampened the pressure on prices at the end of the period and combined with the growing popularity of sparkling wine as a social drink amongst younger consumers in significant markets like France and Italy, it enabled both champagne and other sparkling wine to post value growth in US dollar terms in 2002.
Manufacturers and retailers of champagne seek to further stimulate sales of higher quality products by focusing on appellation and introducing gifts such as ice buckets, champagne glasses and gift boxes. Sparkling wine could see sales rise as much as 17.5% in the next four years as a result of such marketing initiatives, reaching a total of US$25,044 million in 2007. The launch of small, single serving bottles in some markets, including France, Germany and Belgium will also help unit prices to recover, the report said.
