Reims is not only the city where once the French kings were anointed and Joan of Arc defeated the English, Reims is also the city of Champagne. 300 million bottles are sold annually, generating 3.7 billion francs. A proud balance sheet. But champagne has not been doing so well for a long time. Although the downward trend in exports is said to have been stopped, the competition is slowly catching up: Prosecco, sparkling wine, Cava, even the French Crémant are making life difficult for champagne. In Switzerland, according to a study, almost ninety percent of the year-end celebrations are accompanied by champagne.
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| When it comes to champagne% the tie is tied |
Champagne is luxury. This has been proclaimed for decades. After all, some of the most famous champagne houses belong to the world's largest luxury group LVMH (LLouis Vuitton Moët Hennessy): Moët & Chandon, Ruinart, Mercier, Veuve Clicquot and Krug. As early as four years ago, when I visited the Champagne wine region for the first time with the "Revue du Vin de France", I noticed worry lines on the Roederer press manager's face: "What, they are from Switzerland? This is an important export country for us. But sales are down." It was to get far worse. In 2009, exports of champagne plummeted even more than the year before. In these circles, one doesn't like to talk about losses. A decline in sales is as much as a lost battle, as a defeat on the battlefield market. It can't be that the world doesn't love champagne anymore!
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| Champagne as a luxury good - advertising in the Caves Pommery |
I belong to those 80 percent Swiss who can hardly imagine a New Year's celebration without champagne, although I prefer good wine to any champagne, no matter how good it is, but not on New Year's Eve and not during the breaks of concerts and in the theater. Champagne just goes with the territory there, as does slightly festive attire. For me, champagne is less a drink of pleasure than an attribute of festivity. In Switzerland, champagne has caused a lot of trouble in the past few years and has hardly gained any sympathy since the small wine village Champagne was forbidden by EU law to call its wine champagne. There's no need to inflict such disgrace on the Swiss! In any case, statistics reveal that champagne is "losing ground" in Switzerland, as the Schweizerische Weinzeitung states: "Compared to the previous year, sales decreased by 10.9 percent, prestige champagnes lost 44.9 percent. Within ten years, champagne lost 26 percent in volume on the Swiss market."
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| Champagne is also a region and a village in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland |
The forced turning away from Swiss Champagne must have hurt the "real" Champagne in Switzerland. Actually, Reims and its wines should be proud of Switzerland. The small country - 7.5 million inhabitants - is one of the seven largest champagne importers in the world. It purchases about half as much champagne as Germany, which has about ten times more inhabitants.
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| Tasting at the Bollinger Champagne House in Ay |
The champagne trading houses are doing everything they can to polish up their tattered image in Switzerland. After all, they don't like to "dust" a good customer. "Champagne only comes from Champagne," proclaims the information office for Switzerland. But there it already shows: many of the pages can only be read in French, the German part is modest, an Italian one does not exist at all. In fact, significant differences can be observed in the affection for champagne in the three language regions. In the German-speaking part of Switzerland and in the Ticino, the Prosecco is giving Champagne a run for its money, whereas in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, people are loyal to their neighboring country. Also the women - if you believe a LINK study - are said to have changed the champagne habits: for example towards champagne rosé.
I, too, tend to compare such studies with my own habits and those in my immediate surroundings. One thing is true: even in our house, my wife loves champagne far more than I do, who rarely pops the corks. On the other hand, my wife doesn't like the fashionable rosé, and if the quality is right, then a prosecco (usually much cheaper) is also very welcome.
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| Visit to the champagne company Nicolas Feuillatte |
However, we recently had our experience there during the concert break. I should bring a Prosecco, no champagne, said my in such cases determining wife. So I brought the cheaper Prosecco (the brand was not known, neither for Prosecco nor for Champagne). We both wrinkled our noses: phew - champagne again next time! Since then, I've been thinking and who-knows if champagne is more of a cult or a real drinking pleasure. I for one am not sure. Not even now, after the corks popped again on New Year's Eve. It tingles not only on the tongue, but also in the brain. Are we even victims of marketing, which claims: "Champagne is one of the noblest things man makes from grapes?" Now I stand pondering in the wine cellar: and all these beautiful Bordeaux, are they not much dearer to me? Even if they shouldn't be so noble and thank God they don't have a cult tingle. At least not yet.
Yours sincerely