LondonThe first snow showers in Britain on Monday raised the prospect of a white Christmas, but people's festive spirits were soon dampened by wine merchants who announced that high demand for champagne in India was likely to lead to rationing of the spirit here.
The supplies to Britain of top champagne brands from France have dropped due to high demand from India and Russia, where the increasingly wealthy middle classes reportedly choose the best to celebrate. Wine merchants here are warning connoisseurs to book early or join waiting lists.
Large consignments of champagne and other western spirits find their way to India officially and unofficially. The Indian government recently lowered customs duty for imported spirits such as Scotch whisky, which has fuelled exports from Britain.
Berry Bros & Rudd, the 300-year-old London-based vintner, has announced that it will have to compile waiting lists for some bottles, particularly large sizes such as magnums. The company predicts that in the next few years, it might need to limit the number of bottles per customer to ensure fair supply.
The demand for champagne has steadily grown in western countries. But this has been cancelled out by growing demand in India and China. Industry estimates put the global market for champagne and other wines at nearly three billion pounds.
Some of the most popular champagne bottles in demand are the larger bottles such as the magnum containing 1.5 litres (the equivalent of two normal bottles) the jeroboam (four bottles) and the methuselah (eight bottles).
Simon Field, champagne buyer for Berry Bros & Rudd, said: "With demand on the up and supply remaining static, getting hold of premium champagne is going to become increasingly challenging -- particularly the larger bottles, like magnums.
"We could only make 150 double magnums of our house champagne this year and they have almost all gone. Getting hold of cheap fizz from supermarkets won't be a problem, but if you want the best, you should plan ahead."
Reports from France say that champagne production lags behind trends by several years. Manufacturers of top of the range brands reportedly did not anticipate the larger bottles becoming so highly prized.
For example, during the past 10 years, production from the 35,000 hectares of the Champagne region has been 330 million bottles a year. Last year demand hit 333 million bottles in the 12 months to August 2007 - 11 million more than during the previous year.
As a result, The Independent reported that producers were intending to swell the Champagne appellation with 40 new villages - the first change since official maps were drawn up in 1927 -- which might raise production to 430 million bottles by 2011. This year's champagne production is set to turn out some 375 million bottles.
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