Champagne’s recovery has held firm through September, although the industry continues to move at different speeds. Shipments reached 174.2 million bottles in the first nine months of 2026, up 3.2% year on year. September delivered a 7.8% increase, building on the positive momentum of August, when shipments surged by 24.8%. Exports (+6.8%) and, above all, Champagne houses (+5.1%) remain the main drivers of growth. The French domestic market, meanwhile, continues to struggle (-2.5%), while independent growers remain in negative territory (-4%). Champagne is growing again, but the recovery has yet to spread across the entire appellation. That is the picture emerging from the latest Comité Champagne shipment figures, updated through September and highlighted by wine journalist Sophie Claeys on her blog.
Champagne Shipments in 2026: September Extends the Recovery Following August’s Surge
In August, Champagne’s figures had suggested, for the first time in 2026, that the market was moving beyond mere stabilisation. A remarkable 24.8% monthly increase had lifted cumulative shipments for the first eight months by 3.4%, transforming the outlook as the appellation entered the final stretch of the year.
September sustained that momentum, albeit at a more measured pace.
The 25.7 million bottles shipped during the month, up 7.8% compared with September 2025, brought the January–September total to 174.2 million bottles, representing growth of 3.2%. At the same point last year, shipments had been down 1.5%.
The improvement on 2025 is clear. The acceleration compared with the previous month, however, is less convincing: cumulative growth eased from 3.4% at the end of August to 3.2% at the end of September.
That distinction matters. Champagne continues to regain lost ground, but August’s exceptional performance has not translated into equally strong growth in the following month. More importantly, the headline recovery still conceals sharply contrasting trends across the industry.
Champagne Exports Rise 6.8% as EU and International Markets Drive Demand
Exports remain the driving force behind Champagne’s recovery. During the first nine months of 2026, international shipments reached 109.8 million bottles, up 6.8%.
Shipments to the European Union rose by 8% to 32.1 million bottles, while markets outside the EU recorded growth of 6.3%, reaching 77.7 million bottles.
The figures reinforce the trend already apparent in August. At that point, a strong rebound in non-EU markets had almost closed the growth gap with Europe, which had previously led the recovery. By September, the EU still held a percentage-point advantage, but both regions were making a positive contribution to overall performance.
International shipments rose by 10.7% in September alone, underlining the resilience of export demand and its central role in supporting the appellation.
France tells a very different story.
Domestic shipments totalled 64.4 million bottles in the first nine months, down 2.5%. September offered some encouragement, with monthly growth of 3.1%, but the recovery remains tentative.
August had delivered an unexpected 13% increase in France following months of weakness. September maintained positive monthly growth, although at a considerably slower rate. The year-to-date decline narrowed from 3% to 2.5%: an improvement, certainly, but not yet evidence of a sustained turnaround.
The broader picture remains unmistakable. International markets now account for almost two out of every three bottles shipped by Champagne during the first nine months of 2026.
Champagne Houses Lead the Recovery with 133 Million Bottles Shipped, Up 5.1%
If exports are powering Champagne’s recovery, the houses are its strongest performers.
Between January and September, Champagne houses shipped 133 million bottles, up 5.1% compared with the same period in 2025. That represents 76.3% of the appellation’s total shipments, making their performance decisive in shaping the industry’s overall results.
Accounting for more than three out of every four bottles shipped, the houses are not simply the fastest-growing segment. Their sheer weight within the appellation means that their commercial performance largely determines the direction of the market as a whole.
Champagne’s overall 3.2% increase therefore reflects, above all, the houses’ ability to capture international demand.
Exports remain their principal source of growth, with shipments abroad rising by 7.7%. In France, by contrast, their year-to-date performance remains negative, at -1.1%.
September reinforced their leading position. The houses shipped 20 million bottles during the month, an increase of 10%.
Even so, a comparison with August reveals a slight loss of momentum. At the end of the first eight months, cumulative growth stood at 5.6%; by September, it had eased to 5.1%.
Growth remains robust, but its pace has moderated. The underlying picture, however, is unchanged: Champagne’s major commercial players continue to capture the largest share of the international recovery, benefiting from a market reach that remains a decisive advantage.
Champagne Growers Remain Under Pressure as Shipments Fall 4%
For independent Champagne growers, September tells a different story.
Their shipments reached 27.4 million bottles in the first nine months of 2026, down 4% year on year. This marks a marginal improvement on the 4.3% decline recorded at the end of August, but it does little to alter the overall picture.
France remains the principal source of weakness, with domestic shipments falling by 7%. Abroad, however, growers recorded an increase of 5.7%.
This contrast is particularly revealing. Independent growers, too, are benefiting from expanding international demand, but their export gains are not yet sufficient to offset the weakness of their domestic market.
In September alone, grower shipments declined by 1.9%, despite a 7.2% increase in exports.
The contraction was less severe than in August, when monthly shipments had fallen by 4.2%. Nevertheless, the overall trend remains negative.
The gap between growers and houses is striking. While Champagne houses recorded growth of 5.1% over the first nine months, independent growers saw shipments fall by 4%. More than nine percentage points now separate two key segments of the same appellation.
The figures illustrate how a recovery in overall shipments does not necessarily translate into a recovery shared equally across the industry.
The question is no longer simply how much Champagne is being sold, but who is selling it, and in which markets.
Champagne Cooperatives Edge Towards Stability as France Bucks the Trend
Champagne cooperatives are following a third, distinct trajectory.
In the first nine months of 2026, they shipped 13.8 million bottles, down just 0.2%. Having recorded a 1.2% decline at the end of August, the segment is now approaching stability.
Once again, however, the geographical breakdown sets cooperatives apart from the rest of the industry.
While houses and growers rely primarily on international markets for growth, cooperatives recorded a 3.6% increase in France alongside a 3.8% decline in exports.
Their performance is almost the mirror image of Champagne’s overall market trend.
Cooperatives are regaining ground in the very domestic market that continues to weigh on the wider appellation, while struggling to benefit from the expansion of international demand.
The result is a year-to-date performance close to breaking even, but one supported by commercial dynamics markedly different from those driving the Champagne houses.
Champagne Reaches 271.4 Million Bottles Over 12 Months, but Recovery Remains Fragile
One final indicator helps put the monthly fluctuations into perspective: shipments over a rolling twelve-month period.
Between October 2025 and September 2026, Champagne shipped 271.4 million bottles, up 0.8% compared with the preceding twelve months.
At the end of August, the rolling total stood at 271 million bottles, representing growth of 0.6%. September therefore added approximately 400,000 bottles to the total, lifting the annual growth rate to 0.8%.
The figures confirm that conditions are improving, but also underline the gradual nature of the recovery.
The contrast between the 3.2% increase recorded from January to September and the more modest 0.8% growth over the rolling twelve months is particularly telling. Recent gains are gradually improving an annual performance still weighed down by weaker earlier months.
August had raised the question of whether Champagne’s strong summer rebound might signal the beginning of a new phase for the industry. September offers an initial answer: the recovery is continuing, but the pace of growth has not accelerated further.
The 3.2% increase recorded during the first nine months is encouraging, particularly when set against the 1.5% decline registered over the same period in 2025. Yet it would be premature to conclude that a sustained recovery is firmly in place.
August marked a turning point. September confirms that the rebound was more than a one-off, but leaves the most important question unresolved: how much of this growth will eventually reach the producers who have so far been left behind?
Champagne is returning to growth in 2026. Its growers are not.
