Champagne shortage: Sparkling wine may not be available this New Year, and here’s why

Champagne is always present in important events and this also includes the festive celebrations such as the New Year. Most people will have this in their homes to welcome the new year but it appears that this sparkling wine may not be around this year to welcome 2022.

The reason for this is the Champagne shortage. Just like the food ingredient shortages that are happening today, CNN Business reported that the champagne had been affected as well. This is why revelers who are looking forward to popping the cork on the bottle of a bubbly drink, as the new year approaches, may feel disappointed as they cannot do this tradition this year.

According to the reports, sellers of alcoholic drinks and liquor shared many of the popular high-end brands are already sold out like the Moet & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. Each bottle of these champagnes has a price tag ranging from $50 to over $100 but even with these prices, they are not on the shelves anymore.

They are also hard to find in most markets now so many people are forced to just buy lesser-known brands or the cheaper ones since they do not have a choice. There are three reasons why there is a shortage of high-end champagnes and these are: the lesser amount of grape harvest, increase in demand, and disruptions in the supply chain.

The last reason affected the production of champagnes and this in turn, impacted deliveries as well. The manufacturing has slowed so winemakers cannot produce as many bottles as they did before.

"These factors did put significant pressure on retailers in the US this season," the founder and executive vice president of Wine.com, Michael Osborn, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, signature brands like Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot are sold out in some markets, but not all."

Meanwhile, the Wine Enthusiast said that the country is really in the early phase of a Champagne shortage and unfortunately, this may last for several years. Mostly, the COVID-19 pandemic is to be blamed as supplies have become scarce.

"Increased demand, low grape yields due to climate change and weather events and congested ports will make it harder to get Champagne," Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management, told USA TODAY "Prices are going up due to this lack of supply. We could see Champagne shortages till 2025."