According to data collected by the Bureau National Interprofessional du Cognac (BNIC), a new record has been set for the number of bottles shipped during a single year, reaching 205.9m bottles.
With turnover reaching €3.2bn euros, cognac accounts for nearly a quarter of the total value of exported French wines and the US is driving this demand, with 86.5m bottles shipped throughout the year.
“The dark spirits category is growing in the US market, encouraged by the historical presence of cognac and the constant investments of the cognac houses. is ensuring that shipments towards the US continue to grow year on year,” said Patrick Raguenaud, president of the BNIC.
Over the same period, shipments to the Far East have risen +13.5% in volume and +12.4% in value equaling a total of 60.9m bottles. China is leading this growth, making up nearly half of the volume.
Shipments in Europe have remained stable with -2.0% in volume and +3.0% in value, leaving total shipments of more than 41.3m bottles.
VS and VSOP/old qualities categories each shared 50% each of the total exports.
|
Raguenaud added: “The good momentum we are experiencing today across the three qualities can be explained by good results for cognac across all of its markets, with varied consumption patterns.”
The BNIC data shows that shipments of VS continue to grow in volume +6.0% and value +4.1% while VSOP shipments increased + 10.0% in volume and + 2.1% in value.
The old qualities are also experiencing growth with + 12.4% in volume and + 10.3% in value, which the BNIC believes is directly related to the strong results in the Far East.
Cognac now represents nearly a quarter of the total value of all wine and spirits exports from France.
