The Comité Champagne reported in January that shipments were down 8.2% to 299 million bottles in 2023, saying, “After three extraordinary years, Champagne is back to pre-COVID shipment levels.” With 297.3 million bottles in 2019, sales had fallen the following year by 18% during the pandemic, and then bounced back by 33% in the following two years to reach more than 325 million bottles by the end of 2022. In 2023, France was down by 8.2%, with 127 million bottles. The domestic market suffered more from inflation, compared to export markets, which weighed on household budgets throughout the year. Exports were down 8.2% from 2022, with 172 million bottles, but were well above their 2019 level (156 million bottles) and accounted for more than 57% of total sales, compared to 45% 10 years ago. The overstocking by distributors, for fear of shortages in 2022, partly explains the decline between 2022 and 2023. The group also appointed Stanton Communications, headed by Lori Russo as Bureau Director, to represent the interests of the 16,200 growers, 130 cooperatives and 370 Champagne houses within the U.S.