New competition emerges in European sparkling wine market – Euractiv

Experts say changing consumer habits and climate change are paving the way for emerging sparkling wine producers such as those from Britain and Sweden to challenge the hegemony of traditional players and gain market share.

The recent “Prosecco and sparkling wine craze” has disrupted established wine consumption habits. Edouard Cassanet, spokesman for the National Federation of Producers and Winemakers of France, told Euractiv: “This ‘Prosecco effect’ has accelerated the consumption of sparkling wine in Europe.”

Sparkling wines such as Spanish Cava and French Cava de la Loire also benefited from this surge in demand. The latter achieved an unprecedented 5.7% growth compared to 2022, with production of 108 million bottles in 2023.

“It’s a wine that fits into new consumption patterns; it’s affordable and has a lower alcohol content than traditional sparkling wines,” added Casane.

Affordability is key rise Inflation. For example, in France, traditional sparkling wines such as Champagne cost between 25 and 50 euros, while a bottle of Crémant costs less than 20 euros. The same is true for Prosecco or Cava.

Not only are sales of traditional sparkling wines declining, but overall wine consumption in Europe is also falling. Between 2010 and 2020, wine consumption fell by 24%, according to the European Commission. expect It will fall an additional 0.2% per year between 2020 and 2031.

In contrast, sales of new sparkling wines are booming.

Bubble Market

According to data from the Spanish Official Wine Authority, in 2023, Spanish Cava production reached a new high of 252 million bottles, an increase of 3.9% over 2022 and a value increase of 10.6%. website.

Similarly, in Italy, sparkling and white wines currently account for more than a quarter of total wine exports (€885.1 million per year), with growth of 9.1% in the first five months of 2024 compared to 2023. specializeded news data.

according to Eurostat datasparkling wine exports outside Europe grew by an average of 7% per year from 2017 to 2021. The largest markets were the United States (31%) and the United Kingdom (28%).

In 2021, exports reached 636 million litres, up 29% after a 6% drop in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Prosecco (43%), Champagne (15%) and Cava (10%) accounted for the majority of exports.

New competitors in the vineyard

Growing demand for sparkling wine and climate change are attracting new competitors from northern Europe.

“Grapes for sparkling wines are usually picked earlier than for still wines, before they are fully ripe, in order to preserve acidity,” Jean-Marc Touzard, director of research at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAE), explained to Euractiv.

Combined with Europe’s warming climate, it’s becoming more feasible to produce sparkling wine in cooler regions.

Specific grape varieties can also help. For example, the Solaris grape variety, which was bred in Germany in 1975, is well adapted to cooler climates.

In Sweden, the Särtshöga vineyard currently produces 5,000 bottles of wine using Solaris. Plan to achieve By 2026, it will reach 10,000.

This bubbly-loving Scandinavian country has recently Signed a contract Partnering with UK vineyards to import sparkling wine to meet domestic demand and expand its range.

In the UK, most vineyards already produce Chapel Down, based in Kent, is the UK’s largest wine producer and aims to Double Its sales Between 2021 and 2026.

“In northern Europe, where sparkling wine consumption is already well established, the new climate opens up new prospects for producers,” said Touzard, who is conducting a 2050-2070 outlook study.

(Editing by Angelo Di Mambro and Martina Monti)

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