Despite a year in which many small producers were driven to the wall by a meager grape harvest in some areas, France’s exports of wine and spirits had a record year, with value growing even faster than volume.
In simpler terms: France shipped more wine and spirits, especially cognac, and got a higher price per bottle. Cases shipped rose by 5% to 198.6 million, while the total price rose 8.5% to €12.9 billion, according to the Federation of French Wine and Spirits exporters.
The association reported that sales to other Europeans rose, but the biggest export markets were the United States and China. Sales to the U.S. rose 10% to €3 billion, while Chinese sales had a 25% increase to €1.2 billion.
