Champagne’s largest cooperative has just become even bigger. Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, that is a co-operative despite its name, has merged with the smaller Coopérative Régionale des Vins de Champagne, better known under its Champagne Castelnau brand.
Together, they will form a giant capable of producing 24 million bottles from 3,000 hectares of vineyards, 9% of champagne’s total area.
However, Moët & Chandon is still the largest producer, with around 30 million bottles. If you add the other houses owned by LVMH (Veuve Clicquot, Dom Pérignon, Ruinart Mercier, Krug), the figure is well over 50 million. Champagne produces 300-325 million bottles in a normal year.
The new cooperative group will be called “Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne”. However, the fact that it will have this large capacity does not mean that it will produce 24 million bottles. The cooperatives in champagne also sell vast amounts of grapes, must and wine to the big houses.
Read more: BFMtv.
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