NEW YEAR'S EXPORTS OF ITALIAN SPARKLING WINE TO FRANCE DOUBLED (+91%) AND IS GROWING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD, SAID COLDIRETTI. AND THE CIA IN ITALY, 9 FAMILIES ON 10 WILL CHOOSE "MADE IN ITALY" BUBBLES FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT TOAST OF THE YEAR

Toasting with Italian sparkling wines in France has doubled and marked a 91% increase in exports, confirming its primacy on tables around the world, revealed the Association of Italian Farmers, Coldiretti, referring to data from the first nine months of 2012.

This success is further confirmed by the boom in purchases of Italian sparkling wine in the UK (+33%), which became the third largest importer after the U.S. and Germany. Among the new markets - notes Coldiretti – there has been an increase in exports to Canada (+35%) and Japan (+31%).

By the end of year 240 million bottles of Italian sparkling wine will have been exported abroad. This number is larger than the bottles consumed in Italy considering that - said Coldiretti - about 400 million bottles of which 80% with the Charmat method and the rest with the classic method Champenois (second fermentation in bottle, release time on the market longer and final price higher) were produced in 2012.

And at the stroke of midnight on the last day of the year, according to the CIA, Italian Confederation of Farmers, 90 million bottles of champagne will have been uncorked during the holidays in Italy, with a clear preference for "Italian" wines, which will win over champagne in 95% of cases this year, too.

There will be, however, a slight decrease in quantity consumption and not only, of bubbles compared to 2011. Due to the crisis and the fiscal year-end sting - says the CIA - families have lowered their budgets and will be buying cheaper wines in a price range on the average between 5 and 10 euros.

More specifically, as many as 68% of the bottles will be uncorked at home with friends and family, compared to 32% in restaurants on New Year's Eve. And the Italians once again will choose - continues the CIA - the sweet sparkling wine (59% of the vote), followed by dry (with 36%). Champagne gets only 5% of the vote: this means that only one out of twenty Italians choose "Made in France" instead of national wines.