OVER THE LAST 52 WEEKS, IN THE UK, PROSECCO HAS GROWN 72% IN VALUE, TO 338 MILLION POUNDS, AND 78% IN VOLUME, TO 37 MILLION LITRES. CHAMPAGNE HAS SLOWED DOWN AND ALMOST STOPPED: 250 MILLION POUNDS AND 9.8 MILLION LITRES, REVEAL IRI FIGURES

Prosecco continues to fly high in the UK. Over the last 52 weeks IRI monitored the most famous Italian sparkling wines in off-trade channels like supermarkets, convenience stores and wine shops (as of 18 July 2015) which have grown 72% in value, reaching a record 338 million pounds and 78% in volume, to 37.3 million liters. Italian sparklings did much better than Champagne, and Prosecco has clearly surpassed it on the UK market. The French bubbles grew only 1.2% in value to 250 million pounds, while volumes even decreased, although only 0.4%, to 9.8 million liters.

The average price of Champagne is still significantly higher than that of Prosecco; therefore, the numbers relate a Made in Italy success that has been in fashion in recent years and has now become a consolidated phenomenon on one of the most important markets in the world. Even though the Anglo-Saxon press speak of the first historic outdoing of Prosecco over Champagne in the UK, it is actually a substantial widening of the gap since, according to 2014 data, 21 million liters of Prosecco were sold, yielding 182 million pounds, versus Champagne at 141 million pounds (though only 6.5 million liters).

The Spanish Cava instead is doing quite badly. It is down 11% in value, to 18.5 million pounds, and 16.5% in volume to 2 million liters.
IRI traced sparkling wines on the British market, one of the most important worldwide, for a 52-week period and recorded 28.6% growth in value to 585 million pounds, and 28% in volume, to 68 million liters.