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United Kingdom: Relative stability prior to the arrival of the 2022 vintage

08/01/2024

Despite a faster-than-expected recovery at the start of the year, Great Britain is the only G7 member not to have returned to its pre-pandemic level of economic activity. And there are other indicators worrying economists: inflation remains high, as do interest rates on loans which are making people poorer and exacerbating pessimism for businesses.

• In 2023, Bourgogne wines continued to grow

For the first time since 2013, Bourgogne wines posted a fifth consecutive year of sales growth in the United Kingdom, despite a decline in volumes. This is mainly due to the time it took for Bourgogne wines to return to the market, after the historically low harvest of 2021.

• Every level of appellation finds market share in Britain

Making up 76% of exports by volume, Bourgogne white wines largely dominate the English market. Over the first nine months of 2023, this equated to 7.29 million 75cl bottles (down 5.2% compared with the first nine months of 2022), for €89 million (up 3.9% compared with the first nine months 2022).

The incredible growth over this period is explained by the strong presence of three groups of appellations:

- The Chablis AOCs rank number one in terms of volume and sales, accounting for 29% of Bourgogne white wine exports for 25% of sales.
- AOC Mâcon is making a remarkable comeback in this market, with growth on two fronts.
- AOC Bourgogne accounts for 14% of the volume of Bourgogne white wines exported to this market, and 14% of sales for the period.

• Focus on supermarkets and hypermarkets

In the first nine months of 2023, Bourgogne sold almost 3.6 million bottles of still wine to supermarkets (down 5.7% compared with the first nine months of 2022), for a turnover of £39.98 million (down 1.6% compared with the first nine months of 2022).

- Sales of Bourgogne white wines to supermarkets (72% of Bourgogne wine volumes) fell by 4.7% in volume over the first nine months of 2023.
- Sales of Bourgogne red wines are also slowing down.
- Sales of Crémant de Bourgogne followed the same trend in this distribution channel.

Market report written by the Markets and Development Department - BIVB December 2023
(Sources: Customs – CIRCANA&IRI UK – Wine Intelligence - BIVB)

Contact:   Cécile Mathiaud – Head of PR and Content Manager at the BIVB
Phone: +33 (0)6 08 56 85 56 – cecile.mathiaud@bivb.com