CIVC Director of Communications Thibaut Le Mailloux (left) and Sam Heitner, who directs the Champagne Bureau USA, at San Francisco’s Prospect restaurant.

Both the French and the Brits are drinking less Champagne, but America’s obsession with bubbles is growing. Sales of Champagne in the U.S. are on the uptick even as consumers look to Prosecco and Cava to add some additional sparkle to their lives. When the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) came to town last year with a large, well-orchestrated tasting at the Fairmont Hotel, Blind Tasting focused on the Réserve non- vintage wines; the bread-and-butter category that makes up 81% of all Champagne imports to the U.S.

During a briefing at Prospect restaurant, Washington, D.C.- based Sam Heitner who directs the Champagne Bureau USA pointed to rosé as a significant trend, “It’s the fastest growing segment of Champagne in the U.S. making up 16.2% (that’s 2.9 million bottles) of all shipments.” The CIVC reports that in 2013 Americans drank 17.85 million bottles of Champagne, most of which, 87%, was produced by houses, with winegrowers and co-ops exporting just 13% of their production to the U.S.

Read the entire article here: Non-Vintage Champagne