In 2021, the turnover of the sector had reached 5.5 billion euros.
In volume, sales increased last year by 1.6%, to 326 million bottles.
Results that turn the page on 2020, a dark year in which the Covid-19 pandemic had reduced sales to some 244 million bottles.
For David Chatillon, president of the Union of Champagne Houses and co-president of the Champagne Committee, the sparkling champagne "naturally accompanied consumers around the world, who rejoiced at the end of confinements, rediscovered the taste for celebration , outings, trips".
These performances "reward our efforts to ensure that champagne remains an exceptional wine", welcomed Maxime Toubart, president of the general union of winegrowers and other co-president of the Champagne Committee.
"The cuvées are more and more vintage, value the typicality, the terroir, sell for more, go further and further", he observes.
A trend confirmed by the champagne house Vranken-Pommery which reported on Thursday a 12% increase in the turnover of its champagne branch.
"The recovery of post-Covid activity in out-of-home consumption explains the good performance of sales in France in 2022", explains the group in a press release.
Exports represent 67% of champagne sales, stable over one year for the house, which saw its total turnover increase by 11% over one year, to 334.5 million euros.
For the sector as a whole, with 187.5 million bottles, exports increased by 4.3% over one year, while sales in France were down with 138.4 million bottles (-1.7 % compared to 2021).
The share of exports in total sales now exceeds 57% compared to 45% ten years ago.
The first export market remains the United States, specifies Maxime Toubart, who recalls that "the French market is not extensible".
The cessation of exports to Russia has not had an impact, according to him, because it is "a small market of less than two million bottles".
The interprofession also expresses “cautious” optimism for 2023, given the global geopolitical and economic context.
© 2023 AFP