Magazine: Champagne and sparkling wine: how many corks will be popped this year?

So far the champagne and sparkling wine market has contracted a few percent this year. György Kovács, managing director of the market leader Törley Kft. is hopeful that consumers will start buying sparkling wine at the last moment – like they always do.

Average prices significantly drop around the end-of-year holidays but Törley Kft. believes in the strategy of brand building and not in price wars. About 40-50 percent of sparkling wine sales are realised in the last two months of the year and the secondary season of the category is the summer months. Another market player, Royalsekt sells 70 percent of its sparkling wines at the end of the year; in this period the company sells all products at promotional prices. Róbert Fórián Szabó, the marketing director of Royalsekt Zrt. Pezsgőpincészet told Trade magazin that their sales have kept growing in the last few years. His opinion is that consumer prices might increase further but the effects of this trend can be offset to a certain extent by end-of-the-year price promotions. Sweet sparkling wines still dominate but dry and semi-sweet varieties are increasingly popular. In line with international trends, rosé sparkling wines are also coming up, together with alcohol-free products. We buy most of our sparkling wine in hypermarkets and discount stores. In Törley’s portfolio we find the country’s favourite sparkling wine Törley Charmant Doux and the dry Törley Gála Sec; in the higher quality category Hungaria Extra Dry is the absolute number one in the category. Törley Pezsgőpincészet celebrates its 130th birthday this year with the limited edition (only 1,300 bottles were made) Törley 130 Rosé Brut Nature sparkling wine, appearing in shops in the last two months of the year. The company reacted to the rosé trend with Törley Orfeum Rosé Sec. Under the BB brand name the new products are BB Arany7 Rosé and BB Chardonnay. In the Christmas period gift box packaging and glasses packaged with bottles (e.g. with Törley Réservé Demi Sec) become more important; Hungaria Extra Dry comes with Swarovski crystal glass markers. In the first-price private label segment the products of Royalsekt Zrt., the only Hungarian manufacturer, absolutely dominate the market and have forced cheap imported champagnes and sparkling wines out of the Hungarian market. One price category higher they offer Sovetskoje Igristoje, which has a great price/value ratio and is still very popular. One step up the price ladder we find the Szent István sparkling wines. The company’s products are available in an increasing number of stores. This season brings the debut of two new Sovetskoje Igristoje varieties: extra dry and alcohol-free.