Of the hundreds of champagne houses, only 15 have ever appeared in the Brands Report. That’s because, when it comes to this category, brand recognition counts, and few resonate as much as Moët & Chandon, which has topped this list on seven of the past 11 occasions. That’s down to brand call, but it’s also because Moët & Chandon’s entry-level product is three things: consistent, inexpensive and always available. When you’re making cocktails, the vagaries of vintages aren’t so enticing, nor is a big ticket when the spec reads only: champagne.
This year, Moët was the marque of choice in 27% of bars that stocked champagne (81%), which was three times more likely than the brand with the second most house pours (Laurent-Perrier). In 38% of bars that stock champagne, Moët was among the top three.
In second this year is another LVMH brand – Veuve Clicquot, named after the Grande Dame of Champagne, widow Clicquot. Veuve was not found to be a common house serve this year, but was about 50% more likely than any other brand to be the back-up champagne. Dom Pérignon, meanwhile, climbs to third, its highest ranking ever. Another LVMH number, this iconic champagne is the high-roller’s choice – it was found to be among the top three champers in 29% of cases. It was also the top trending, which suggests this is a champagne on the up.
Pernod Ricard’s Perrier-Jouët used to fight it out with Moët at the top of this list – winning it in 2014, 2015 and 2018 – but seems to have lost some of its competitive edge. It was the house in only 7% of those bars that stocked the French bubbles but was present in 22%. Meanwhile, medium-sized Billecart-Salmon continues to punch above its weight in the high-end on-trade, equalling Perrier-Jouët’s record on house pours. The family-owned brand was present in 19% of bars who stocked champagne. Laurent-Perrier was less likely to be present in bars, but where it was present, it had a high proportion of house pours (9% of bars with champagne), while the rest of the list was made up of marques that play a supporting role. Ruinart was a top-three choice in 11% of those that stock the French fizz, with Bollinger, Mumm and Taittinger representing about 10%.
How we did it
The Annual Brands Report results are the culmination of a survey of 100 bars from 33 countries around the world which have been nominated or won international awards. The report offers a picture of the buying habits of the world’s best bars – not only which brands sell best, but also what’s trending to indicate the brands that are hot right now.
To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.
The Brands Report will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.
