Champagne Champions

With Christmas and New Year's celebrations just around the corner, many people currently stock up on their favorite drinks. And what better way to toast on a special occasion than opening a bottle of champagne, one of France's proudest exports. The United States and the UK are particularly fond of the exclusive sparkling wine from the Champagne region, having imported 33.7 and 28.1 million 750 milliliter bottles in 2022, respectively. As our chart based on data by the trade association Comité Champagne shows, most of the biggest import nations are located in Europe.

With the exception of the U.S., Japan and Australia, Western European countries like Germany, Belgium and Italy are dominating last year's top 10. This is not to say that other countries don't enjoy sparkling wine, but the numbers only refer to the higher-priced, regionally produced drink from the French region of Champagne. The area was officially designated in 1927 and is home to winemakers like Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon and Krug.

While champagne only makes up around 10 percent of global sparkling wine consumption, it's responsible for 28 percent of the market value, generated with only 0.5 percent of the world's total vineyard area. Overall, champagne exports from France amounted to almost $7 billion in 2022, with the U.S. alone importing roughly $1 billion worth of bubbly.