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Brits spill more than 560,000 bottles of sparkling wine per year

30 October 2024 By Sarah Neish

New research conducted by Aldi shows that wine spilled while opening bottles of fizz amounts to 568,134 bottles’ worth – or more than 2,000 full bathtubs – each year in the UK.

According to new research by budget supermarket Aldi, around 76% of sparkling wine drinkers in the UK spill at least some bubbly when opening a bottle, with the wasted liquid amounting to an average of 35.8ml per spill.

That adds up to 426,100 litres per year, which is the equivalent of 568,134 spilt bottles – or more than 2,000 bathtubs of bubbly.

One in six UK fizz drinker say they shake the bottle before opening it, with 55% mistakenly believing that doing so “enhances the bubbles”. Over half (55%) of the British adults surveyed by Aldi admit they “get nervous open a bottle of sparkling wine”, and for this reason 57% ask someone else to open the bottle for them.

The survey shows that Brits also love a bit of drama and anticipation, with 48% “making a ‘woo’ or ‘ooh’ sound” when popping a cork.

Festive fizz per region

With Christmas coming up, retailers are preparing for an uptick in Champagne sales, with Aldi expecting the following number of glasses of Champagne to be consumed on average per person across the UK this festive season.

Scots are expected to drink the most of the fine French sparkler, while the Welsh are expected to drink the least.

Scotland: 14 glasses

London: 13.8 glasses

North East: 13.5 glasses

West Midlands: 13.5 glasses

Wales: 12.8 glasses

When it comes to sparkling wine sales in the UK, Waitrose outperformed the market by 25% this year for Champagne and Crémant, according to the retailer.

“All our Crémants (five whites, including a Blanc de Blancs from Burgundy, one from Alsace plus one rosé) are sub £20 and it been a big growth area for us as Champagne isn’t getting any cheaper and there’s pressure from customers looking for another style that offers really good value,” Waitrose’s sparkling wine buyer Alexandra Mawson told db in October.

It seems sparkling wine fans are increasingly seeking out fine bulles from the Loire Valley, which is the number one sparkling wine production region in France, outside Champagne. Fines bulles are sparkling wines made in the traditional method, with secondary fermentation completed in the bottle, leading to elegant, refined bubbles. As an added bonus for green-minded consumers, around 80% of Loire Valley wine estates commit to organic, biodynamic, and French environmental certifications like HEV (High Environmental Value – Levels 1,2,3) ), Terra Vitis, and Agri Confiance.

Meanwhile, Moët Hennessy has invested in alcohol-free fizz through acquiring a minority stake in French Bloom. The de-alcoholised “prestige cuvée” will join the likes of Dom Pérignon and Krug among the company’s portfolio.

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