Italian sparkling wine outsells champagne

PARIS, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Italian sparkling wines outsold France's famed champagne this year by about 10 million bottles, the Italian winemakers' group says.

Assoenologi estimated global sales of spumante and similar wines collectively known as "bollicine" at 380 million bottles, France 24 reported. Coldiretti, an Italian agricultural association, said exports of spumante and prosecco, the most popular Italian sparkling wines, were up 17 percent in the first nine months of 2010.

France is also fending off competition from an unexpected direction -- England. The English winemaking industry, while small, has grown in the past 20 years and now is exporting some of its products to Japan.

"I see so many international sparkling wines. And many of them are just as good quality as champagne," said Beppe Juliano, editor of the Italian wine magazine Euopisa. "The difference is that small producers from Italy or England are not charging you for a brand."

The Champagne region, which gives its name to the wine, has suffered a double punch. Recent bad harvests meant less wine was produced. At the same time, with Italian and English sparkling wine costing from 25 percent to 75 percent of the price of champagne, the global economic slump made them much more appealing.