The Italian champagne market is experiencing a notable deceleration in 2024, marked by a sharp decline in imports and a general softening of consumer demand — although not uniformly across the board. While leading global brands maintain their market share, lesser-known labels are finding it increasingly difficult to gain traction in a landscape that appears to be reaching saturation.

Early indicators suggest a challenging year ahead, with limited prospects for rapid recovery. The dynamics differ across distribution channels: in the mass retail segment, champagne remains a niche product, playing a marginal role within broader food and beverage consumption trends. Conversely, in the on-trade sector — particularly within HoReCa — sentiment appears cautious. Though comprehensive data is not yet available, leading distributors report a more restrained market mood, in contrast to the exuberance that followed the pandemic years.

This cooling phase actually began in 2023. According to data from the Comité Champagne (CIVC), Italian imports closed the year at 9.9 million bottles — down 7% compared to 2022. The decline is largely attributed to inflation-driven price increases, which, while tempering demand, also helped normalize a market that had previously overheated during the post-COVID boom.

Despite the slowdown, Italy continues to rank among the world’s top champagne-importing countries — behind the US, UK, Japan, and Germany — and well above its pre-pandemic volumes from 2019. Notably, consumer interest remains strong in high-end segments: sales of prestige cuvées and low-dosage champagnes grew by 2.3% and 3% respectively in 2023, totaling 702,000 and 623,000 bottles. This suggests a selective evolution in Italian demand, favoring quality and exclusivity even amid broader market contraction.

Italy may be drinking less Champagne, but perhaps it’s just realizing that bubbles aren’t always better when they come with a French accent 🙂

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