Crémants are regaining traction in export markets

fter record sales of 90 million bottles in 2019, the eight Crémant appellations* fell to 75 million due to the Covid pandemic in 2020. The start of 2021 saw the beginning of a slow recovery in French super/hypermarkets, but exports are fuelling sales. “We think we will have more or less caught up with 2019 super/hypermarket figures by the end of the year. In export markets, that has already been achieved and we should outstrip them by the end of 2021”, explained Edouard Cassanet, vice-chairman of the national Crémant producers’ federation (FNPEC) and director of the Lugny co-operative winery, at a press conference in Paris on 21 September.

Great Britain is the most dynamic country, but the leading importer countries are still Belgium, the United States, Italy and Scandinavia, along with Germany and the Netherlands for entry-level ranges. The share of exports varies from 5 to 50% depending on the region, with more than half of Crémant de Loire shipped abroad, followed by Crémant de Bourgogne.

The expected drop in volume for the 2021 harvest should not be an issue – sales slowed in 2020, paving the way for a seamless transition in availabilities, and higher quality levels due to the extra time spent on the lees. The sales target of 100 million bottles by 2025 forecast at the federation’s 2019 AGM therefore remains unchanged.

Educational and promotional activities have just begun with Parisian wine merchants and restaurateurs. A thrust in the British market for 2022 or 2023 is currently being examined in conjunction with FranceAgriMer.

* Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Die, Jura, Limoux, Loire and Savoy.