CHAMPAGNE SALES POP

BUBBLY HAD ANOTHER sparkling year in 2O16. Sales of Champagne last year hit their second-highest level in value terms, although currency fluctuations related to Brexit hampered the year for the segment’s biggest market. Figures from the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne show sales of Champagne last year totaled $5.O6 billion, a O.6% dip on 2O15’s record high. Volumes decreased slightly, by 2.1%, with the trade association blaming a lackluster French market and the depreciation of Sterling in relation to the Euro. The strong value performance reflects consumer preference for higher-end expressions as well as stronger growth in new markets, the CIVC said.