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By Nick Pisa in Rome – Italy has overtaken France to become the largest wine producer in the world.

According to the European Commission in 2010 Italy produced 4.96 billion litres of wine compared to 4.62 billion in France, a drop of one per cent from last year.Domenico Bosco, from the Italian agricultural workers union Coldiretti, said:”This result is fruit of the fact that production has been stable in Italy while in France it has fallen.

“The increase in Italian production must also be compared to the fact that the territorial size of the French vineyards is far larger than our ones. Exports are also on the increase – up 15 per cent compared to last year, which is a very good sign.” Continue reading “wine-business-international: Italy overtakes France to become world’s largest wine producer”

Global exports of Bordeaux wines staged a significant comeback last year, driven by particularly strong demand from China, according to trade body the Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin du Bordeaux (CIVB).

In sharp contrast to what the CIVB described as “a catastrophic year” in 2009, exports in calendar 2010 rose by 14% in volume to 1.77m hectolitres and by 17% in value to EUR1.51bn (US$2.1bn).

Germany was the leading export market by volume, just ahead of China. Hong Kong was the premier destination for Bordeaux wines in value terms, followed by the UK and China.

There was a 6% rise in volumes shipped to the US, although exports fell by 28% by value.

Despite a “good recovery”, the CIVB highlighted the precarious position of many Bordeaux producers due to insufficient levels of business. The sector lost around 1m hectolitres of production between 2008 and 2009.

By: just-drinks.com editorial team -

Rémy Cointreau has agreed to sell its Champagne business to France’s Societe Europeenne de Participations Industrielles (EPI), according to a report.

EPI, which is owned by France’s Descours family, has agreed not to split the business as part of the deal, according to Decanter.com, which reported the news today (17 March). It did not cite sources.

The sale could not be immediately confirmed by just-drinks. However, since the begginning of this month, Rémy and EPI have been in exclusive talks on a deal for the Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck brands and related assets.

Rémy is believed to have been seeking a price of around EUR400m (US$561m). The sale of the unprofitable Champagne arm will allow the group to focus on its Cognac markets, particularly in Asia.

Stuart Todd - French wine and spirits exports rose by 18.3% in value in 2010, according to the sector’s export trade body, FEVS.

Exports reached EUR9.1bn for the year, FEVS said today (14 February). “The business rebound in 2010 is largely a result of an excellent performance in Asian markets and recovery in North America,” said FEVS president Claude de Jouvencel. “In the EU, recovery has been more timid.”

In terms of product, last year saw a 33% increase in Cognac sales to EUR1.85bn, while vodka exports jumped by 40% to EUR332m. Champagne exports rose by 22% to EUR1.9bn.

The US remained the leading importer of French wines and spirits, with exports to the country of EUR1.6bn, up by 25% on 2009. Sales to the UK rose by 7.5% to EUR1.3bn, while sales to China leapt by 79% to EUR564.8m.

just-drinks.com editorial team

The Champagne industry’s ruling council has said that there is more work to do to rebuild consumer demand, despite a series of sales rebounds for some of the sector’s biggest players.

Champagne sales may have bounced back to 319.5m bottles in 2010, the fourth highest total on record, but the Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins de Champagne (CIVC) is in cautious mood. Value sales remain below those seen before the global financial meltdown. Continue reading “FRANCE: Champagne body plays down talk of full recovery”

By: just-drinks.com editorial team –

• Sales rise by 11% in 2010
• Demand still short of pre-crisis highs
• Profits to be “better” than 2009

Champagne house Lanson-BCC has reported an 11% rise in sales for 2010, but demand remained below the highs seen before the global financial crisis.

Lanson-BCC said today (8 February) that net sales reached EUR305m (US$416m) for the 12 months to the end of December. Volume sales increased by 6% versus 2009, echoing a general rebound in consumer demand for Champagne following a tough couple of years. Continue reading “FRANCE: Lanson-BCC Champagne FY sales rise, but short of pre-crisis high”

just-drinks.com editorial team

Moet Hennessy owner LVMH has had a bid for Remy Cointreau‘s Champagne business turned down but is still leading a group of Champagne houses in pursuit of the division, according to local reports.

Remy Cointreau rejected a EUR300m (US$407m) bid for its Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck Champagne business before Christmas, according to a report in French business daily, La Tribune, today (24 January). It cited an industry source as saying that LVMH plans to return with a higher offer, while Nicolas Feuillatte, Alliance Champagne and Lanson BCC are also reportedly in the running. Continue reading “FRANCE: LVMH eyeing Remy Cointreau’s Champagne arm?”

By: Stuart Todd – Champagne’s trade body, CIVC, is upbeat on the sector’s prospects for 2011 based on improving volume sales and higher pricing.

Global Champagne sales by volume rose by 12.4% for the 10 months to the end of October, according to CIVC.

“The key question now is whether this is largely a restocking phenomenon or a response to a real increase in consumption. We will only be able to make a judgement on that when the crucial months of November and December are past us,” said CIVC spokesperson Daniel Lorson.

He told just-drinks that global shipments for 2010 would likely hit 315m bottles, up from 293m last year but still below 322m in 2008.

“Overall, we are optimistic for 2011,” said Lorson. “We’ve noted a modest average increase in prices in the second half, driven by significant increases in prices for premium Champagne.

“We are also seeing some strong upward movement in prices in the bottom of the range category, compared to 2009, with fewer examples of Champagne at less than EUR10 (US$13) a bottle,” he added.

Stuart Todd – A subsidiary of the Champagne Alliance co-operative, Jacquart, is to acquire Montaudon Champagne from Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

The transaction, the value of which has not been disclosed, concerns the brand, a production site and stocks but not Montaudon’s (grape) supply contracts. Montaudon posted total sales of EUR26m (US$34.3m) in 2009 and joined the Moet Hennessy group in 2008.

The purchase of Montaudon is expected to further Jacquart’s on-going strategy of developing a more upmarket offering and bolster a turnover forcasted to reach EUR75m this year. Champagne Alliance brings together 2,000 co-operatives, representing  2,400 hectares of vineyards.The deal follows last month’s news that Rémy Cointreau is planning to sell its Champagne business, which includes the Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck brands.

just-drinks.com editorial team – Remy Cointreau has said that it expects offers for its Champagne business before the end of 2010.

The group’s director-general, Jean-Marie Laborde, told journalists in Paris today (30 November) that preliminary offers for the Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck Champagne business are expected by the end of the year. He said interest in the division has been strong.

Remy announced earlier this month that it had appointed the investment arm of Credit Agricole bank to organise an auction for the Champagne division. The group told just-drinks that the Champagne arm was “not profitable enough”. Continue reading “FRANCE: Remy Cointreau updates on Champagne sale”

By: Stuart Todd – French wine and spirits exports posted strong growth in the first nine months of 2010, according to the latest figures from the sector’s export trade body, FEVS.

Exports rose by 19% in value to EUR6.26bn (US$8.6bn) and by 16.5% in volume on the same period of last year. “The recovery has been led by spirits, particularly Cognac, vodka and gin, even though wines are showing a solid recovery too,” a spokesman for FEVS told just-drinks today (22 November).
In the same period of 2009, exports fell by 11% in volume and 24% in value versus 2008.

“Initial feedback from the US, our biggest export market, would appear to indicate that consumers remain prudent in their drinks purchases, to a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty,” said the spokesperson.

Stuart Todd – Group confirms possible sale – No timeframe disclosed -  Sales have not recovered from ’09 slump

Rémy Cointreau is mulling the sale of its Champagne division, which has been hit hard by the economic downturn.

Rémy Cointreau said today (15 November) that it has commissioned the Crédit Agricole bank to initiate a competitive tendering procedure ahead of a possible sale of the Champagne business, which includes the Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck brands. Continue reading “FRANCE: Rémy Cointreau eyes Champagne business sale”

By: Stuart Todd -

France’s federation for wine co-operatives, the CCVF, has called for retailers to pay producers at least 10% more for their wines.

The CCVF said that better market conditions, weaker stock levels and a smaller forecast harvest in 2010 justified price increases. Co-operatives account for approximately 50% of wine production in France.

“Growers need to be compensated for the ground lost on prices last year,” said CCVF president Denis Verdier this week. He said prices paid to producers have fallen by 10% in the last year, with cheaper wines worst hit.

“It’s not for consumers to pay for the increase we are demanding,” said Verdier. “The solution lies in retailers’ margins.”

just-drinks.com editorial team – The owner of Moet Hennessy, LVMH, has denied that it has any intention of selling the wine and spirits vision to Diageo. Speculation that Diageo could buy the 66% of Moet Hennessy that it does not already own has returned to the fore in the last couple of weeks. However, an LVMH spokesperson told Reuters yesterday (21 October) that there was no plan to sell up.

Diageo has previously declared an interest in Moet, the owner of Hennessy Cognac, Moet & Chandon Champagne and Glenmorangie and Ardbeg Scotch whiskies. Diageo‘s 34% stake in the firm is the drinks giant’s only current route into Asia’s fast-growing Cognac market and also the Champagne sector. Continue reading “FRANCE: LVMH denies Moet Hennessy sale plan – report”