Champagne producers feeling effects of crisis. - The champagne market has been rocked by the economic crisis; this is not bringing prices down, however. According to the CICV (Comité interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne), total shipments from the Champagne region (25 million bottles) fell by 34% in the first two months of this year compared with the same period of last, further aggravating the slow down noted at the end of 2008. A 4.8% fall was recorded for 2008 as a whole, after the continued rises of the previous years (+5.3% in 2007, +4.6% in 2006 and +2.1% in 2005. The decline was sharpest in the European market, without France, where the fall was much less marked. In the other EU countries, orders fell generally by more than 47%, with much of the reason for this being found in the United Kingdom. The UK usually accounts for 25% of exports, but demand has plummeted because of the pound's loss of value and the financial crisis. The effects of the crisis can also be seen in Italy and Spain and, outside the European Union, in the United States and Switzerland. The Japanese market has also recently shown signs of decline. While there are more and more promotional campaigns offering good deals, the prestigious champagne houses, such as Bollinger and Moët Hennessy, refuse to lower their prices for fear of harming their image. Rather than lower prices, they prefer to use other means to boost sales, such as offering free bottles if orders are renewed or advertising space in sales catalogues. “These concessions are less obvious that price reductions,” the CIVC comments. (I.L.)