New Vintage Champagne Releases

And even if the Champenois who drive the market decided to drop their prices at the cellar door, the anemic dollar would still ensure that full retail pricing in the U.S. would make the most prestigious marques prohibitively dear for almost anybody with common sense. Many brands have watched their sales here plummet by almost 50% over the last two years, but producers still refuse to cut their prices. On the contrary: just before the 2009 harvest, the two organizations that represent the large houses (the Union des Maisons de Champagne) and the independent growers (the Syndicat Général des Vignerons) agreed to slash production from the 2009 harvest by 40% in an effort to restrict supply (or oversupply, as is the case right now) and thereby sustain price levels. Imagine if this were oil. If anybody needed evidence that Champagne is increasingly being marketed as a luxury item rather than as a wine that is subject to market fluctuations they can stop wondering right now. Given consumers' ongoing aversion to laying out big bucks for non-necessities, it will be interesting to see if this ploy bears any fruit (pun intended) for the large producers.