What Goes into Champagne Prices

A bottle of champagne is almost always present at an important celebration or occasion. Be it the christening of a new ship, a wedding celebration, or the arrival of a new baby in the family. A bottle of champagne is always the go-to celebratory drink. However, in the past, champagne prices were much higher, and these sparkling wines were often reserved for special occasions, even for the privileged. And even today, a quality bottle of champagne is still priced particularly dearly compared to other alcoholic beverages. What makes champagne prices so high? 

Cost of production

Due to the AOC or Appellation d'Origine Controlée, the production of champagne is limited to only 34,400 hectares that make up the AOC. That means in France, only a limited production of champagne is allowed to be made in an area five times smaller than the size of Bangkok. Naturally, due to this scarcity of land, the price of vineyards is dizzyingly high, and most growers usually rely on inherited plots of land, which limits their ability to produce more than a few thousand or a few hundred bottles a year. 

Champagne Climate

Made in the aptly named region of Champagne in the northern part of France, wine production requires a finely balanced amount of sunshine, rainfall, and cold and warm temperatures that will allow the grapes to achieve the desired acidity that will be perfect for the production of sparkling wines. 

Given the worldwide effect of climate change, the weather is far less predictable these days. And has far-ranging effects on the farmers’ ability to harvest their grape crops. Any small disturbance to an otherwise perfect climate can cause the entire vineyard to produce less-than-ideal quality grapes. 

Production cost

Compared with other sparkling wines, champagne production involves using traditional methods that are labour intensive. Once the initial fermentation process is finished in tanks or barrels, the product undergoes an additional fermentation process inside bottles.

These bottles are constantly turned on a daily basis which allows the dead yeast cells to be removed. After this, the champagne is bottled and sent to distributors. All champagnes are legally required to be aged for a minimum of 12 months before being brought to market. But most manufacturers choose to age their sparkling wines longer to produce a deeper and  greater complexity in their taste. 

A Reliable Source of Sparkling Wines

Regardless if you’re a restaurant, hotel, or just a wine enthusiast, finding a reliable wine supplier will alleviate the stress of having to scour the whole of Bangkok for your favourite champagne at reasonable prices.

Ambrose Wine and Spirits have been a reliable source of high-quality wines for enthusiasts since 1996. The family-run business focuses on sharing its passion for wine and spirits with as many people as possible. Contact them today for a price list of their sparkling wines. With offices in Bangkok, Samui, Phuket, and Chiang Mai, you can be sure that they will be able to offer a personalised service to you.