US ranked as world’s top Champagne market

The US has grown to become the world’s number one Champagne market by value, with per-case value up 20% to over €300 last year.

Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon enjoy a 60% share of the US Champagne market

As reported by Shanken News Daily, the surge in value sales has been driven by a dynamic premiumisation trend.

Champagne value sales in the US were up 28% last year to €515 million, ahead of the UK on €512 million off the back of a 7% rise in sales.

The UK meanwhile, remains the number one Champagne market for volume sales at 34.2 million bottles in 2015 compared to the 20.5 million sold in the US.

The strength of the dollar against the euro has helped contribute to the value growth, alongside price hikes and a thirst for top-end Champagnes and prestige cuvée rosés.

Piper-Heidsieck is looking to capitalise on the trend with the launch of a rosé expression of its prestige cuvée Rare, which will be the most expensive Champagne in its portfolio.

At the same time the brand, which is distributed in the US by Terlato, will raise the price of its brut non-vintage in the US.

“You’d sometimes see the brut as low as $29.99 on the shelf. Over the holidays last year the average was above $39.99, which is a nice move in the right direction,” Terlato CEO Bill Terlato told Shanken News Daily.

Pernod Ricard-owned Perrier-Jouët meanwhile, is seeing strong results for its prestige cuvée Belle Epoque, which on average sells above $150 a bottle.

Dominating the category in the US however are Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon, which enjoy a combined 60% share of the market in America. Around 60,000 cases of Dom Pérignon are sold in the US each year at around $160 a bottle.

According to Impact Databank, the five best-selling Champagne brands in the US are Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, Nicolas Feuillatte and Dom Pérignon.