Champagne Fizzles Out

Now THIS is scarey stuff..... The world is running short of fizz as french growers start to hoard their champagne. Vineyard owners in eastern France are refusing to sell tens of millions of bottles stocked in their cellars. Their unwillingness to give up what they see as their retirement nest eggs has left the country’s most prestigious champagne houses struggling to keep pace with a rise in demand from the rest of us bubbly junkies. Champagne experts say that producers will soon be unable to supply emerging markets in Russia, China and India as well traditional customers in countries such as Britain and the USA. Global sales have risen from 287 million bottles in 2002 to 321 million in 2006, with sales likely to reach 330 million this year. However only 32,600 hectares of vineyards are authorised to produce the black grapes needed to produce champagne. Now this ALARMING little problem could be solved if grape growers sold the estimated 100 million bottles stashed away in their cellars. But they are reluctant to do so. The average grower in the Champagne region owns just 2.5 hectares of land. Ahh well…… Bring on the CAVA I say!