The French think Champagne is too expensive so it’s time to follow their Gallic example and stick with other sparklings.The London Times blew the whistle last week with an editorial declaring the French have fallen out of love with their most famous fizz.
Consumers are turning to cheaper alternatives as prices rise. The Times reported Champagne makers have been accused of pricing themselves out of their home market as drinkers abandon bottles that cost more than €23 on average. Instead, French households are buying cheaper sparkling wines from Italy and less prestigious regions in France that experts say offer better value for money.
“The controversy erupted after a study by NielsenIQ, the market research group, found a 20.7 per cent drop in champagne sales in French supermarkets in the first 11 months of the year compared with the same period in 2022….The figures sparked a backlash against champagne houses, which were accused of a high-handed attitude to the cost of living crisis”
A real exmple of high-handed nonsense appeared last week with the release of Champagne Fleur de Miraval 3P Rose N.V. for $700 a bottle. 3P stands for the three families, Perrin, Pitt, and Peters, Brad Pitt the actor bringing celebrity status and is also described in the P.R. puff as a wine making legend.
I know Champagne and rate it second to French burgundies on my table of pretentions, a list of the ways we waste money on wine. Disturbingly Australia imports 875,000 cases of this overpriced nonsense. Don’t believe me? Try a glass of the flat wine next morning. Very ordinary without the bubbles.
The common-sense wine drinker is advised to stick with Glug The Rising Sun Barossa Valley Grenache 2022 while neighbours dropping in to say hello will enjoy a glass of the Flocking Galloots South Australia Sauvignon Blanc 2022.
