San Francisco Frontiers - Champagne puts cork in project to expand production area

The Champagne Winegrowers' Association launched a study to expand the region in which the sparkling wine could be produced in 2003 when sales were rising.

"Twenty-three years later, the alarming consequences of climate change, economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and shifting consumer behavior have profoundly disrupted the reality on the ground," the association said in a statement.

Champagne sales have declined over the past three years in both France and abroad, with tariffs and trade restrictions hitting exports.

The current area in which Champagne can be produced dates from 1927.

The appellation Champagne includes 319 localities to the east of Paris where the soil and climatic conditions were suited to producing the three varieties of grapes used in making the sparkling wine.

The association said Thursday's decision didn't call into question the 2003 decision or the work carried out since, but that the rapid increase in temperatures and changes in economic environment meant it needed to re-examine the foundations of the project.

The region set a record this year for the earliest harvest given the exceptionally hot summer, which caused high sugar content in the grapes and forced an easing of rules on alcohol content.

"Before redrawing the Appellation area, we must think about the Champagne we want to produce tomorrow: its identity, its balance, and the terroirs that will allow it to remain true to itself," said Maxime Toubart, president of the Champagne Winegrowers' Association.

"That is how we will remain in control of our destiny," he added.

G.Allen--SFF