Valentine’s Day Champagne Shortage?

As we reported in November, Moët Hennessy CEO Philippe Schaus got the attention of many wine lovers when he suggested that stocks of LVMH Champagnes (Veuve Cliquot, Krug, Moët, etc.) were running dangerously low in the lead up to Christmas and New Years. Now the Champagne trade group—CIVC—is announcing that there may be a shortage of Champagne available for Valentine’s Day. This well might be more than your faithful correspondent can bear. Please be on the lookout for our list of The Top Eight Rosé Champagnes you should get your hands on. (It’s coming next week). Last year, by the way, 326 million bottles of Champagne were sold, the second highest number since 2007. Nearly 60% of Champagne is exported.