A new report shows Champagne exports to Australia fell 17.6% in 2024 to 7,297,000 bottles as consumers tightened their belts.
According to Drinks Business’ Champagne Report 2025, Australia has dropped from the sixth-largest Champagne market in the world to seventh place.
Data from Comite Champagne shows total Champagne shipments in 2024 reached 271.4 million bottles, down 9.2% from 2023.
The US was the largest market for Champagne exports in 2024 and saw a slight rise in exports during the year, partly as a result of increased year-end shipments due to uncertainty around tariffs under Donald Trump’s administration.
The second largest export market for Champagne was the UK, followed by Japan, Germany, Italy and Belgium.
According to Drinks Business, Champagne has exported 54 million less bottles in two years and is now shipping volumes worldwide that are similar to the quantities of 2001, which were 262.7 million.
Co-president of the Comité Champagne Maxime Toubart said: “Champagne is a true barometer of consumer mood. And this is no time for celebration, with inflation, conflicts around the world, economic uncertainty and a political wait-and-see attitude in some of Champagne’s biggest markets, such as France and the United States.”
Endeavour Group noted in November that the first half of FY2025 had seen consumers pull back their spending due to cost-of-living pressures and switch to more ‘value orientated’ products, such as sparkling wine instead of Champagne.
Coles Group CEO Leah Weckert also admitted shoppers were cutting back in 2024.
“We’re seeing people trading into low-cost alternatives, so, for example, out of Champagne into things like prosecco or Australian sparkling,” she said.
Prosecco DOC exports reached an all-time record of 660 million bottles in the year to October 2024, an increase of 7%. In the 12 months ending September 2024, Prosecco volumes in Australia grew more than 14% to $181 million.
The suburbs that drank the most Champagne in 2024