France’s Champagne producers shipped fewer bottles of bubbly last year, another sign of softness in the luxury market. Foreign shipments from the French region dropped 8.2%, the Comité Champagne, which represents the producers, said Monday. Within France, shipments fell to the lowest level in almost four decades excluding 2020, which was skewed by pandemic lockdowns. The French are by far the biggest consumers of their home-grown sparkling wine, accounting for more than 40% of shipments, but inflation has weighed on household budgets, according to the Comité Champagne. Demand for Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger, Lanson and oth ... (full story)