Why is champagne more expensive than wine?

The price difference between Champagne and wine

First of all, remember that champagne is a wine. But it is a wine with a complex production process. The first reason therefore lies in the cost of producing champagne, which is higher than that of still wine: hand-harvesting, winemaking techniques (which require a great deal of processing), the price of the grapes –‘the price is then set by the CIVC’ (the major Champagne houses buy most of the grapes they need, which are among the most expensive grape varieties in the world) and the ageing period (a minimum of 18 months, but usually longer) partly explain the cost of a bottle of Champagne.

However, most sparkling wines produced using the same method cost two to three times less. There are therefore other reasons for Champagne’s higher price, linked to its reputation and global renown, and to the marketing, promotional and advertising expenditure that helps to create and maintain this reputation.

This is particularly true of the major brands. Since the 19th century, one of the key objectives of the major Champagne estates has been to shape the image of their wines: Champagne is a festive drink par excellence, a drink associated with both collective and personal rituals, and an expression of luxurious and refined ‘à la française’ expertise. The result is two centuries of success and a supply that struggles to meet demand, as Champagne isproduced in a defined territory (just over 30,000 hectares).

The impact of this image and this market mechanism on costs cannot be ignored in the Champagne region.