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Champagne
Toasts 10 Years To UK As Leading Export Market |
36,765,884
Bottles Equal Over One Bottle of Bubbly Per Second Being Popped in
the UK in 2005
For the
10th year running, the UK again emerged as the leading export market
for Champagne. According to the Comité Interprofessionnel du
Vin de Champagne (CIVC), export figures reached a record
36,765,884bottles, an increase of 4.07% from 2004 figures. In
addition, UK trends signalled dynamic growth for Rosé (+ 5%),
Vintage (+7.3%) and bigger-sized bottles (Magnum, Jeroboam, Nebuchadnezzar).
Britons
created over one celebration per second in 2005, with an all-time
import record of over 36,000,000 bottles. Those figures further break
down to 70 bottles per minute and 4,194 per hour for toasting
successes, big bonuses or just celebrating a night in with friends.
Champagne's
sustained success in the UK is largely due to perceived economic
growth coupled with the affinity Britain has for Champagne, which is
rooted in our history. Moreover, the overall hospitality boom
nationwide ranging from bistros and style lounges to private members'
clubs and Michelin-starred restaurants has also driven Britain's
thirst for bubbly. Fuelled by 2005's record-breaking City bonuses,
the capital ran dry of Prestige Cuvées and larger-sized
bottles during January and February, as Champagne lovers toasted
their success and created special occasions.
"Britons
are known as great lovers of celebration and this year we've seen a
new trend as export figures show a dramatic increase in large-sized
bottles, injecting a sense of fun to those occasions", commented
Françoise Peretti, Director for the Champagne Information
Bureau in the UK. "We've also seen an increase in Vintage
Champagne figures, which will be one of the distinctive styles we're
showcasing at our annual tasting event on 15 March, which with over
200 different wines is arguably the world's largest Champagne tasting event".
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