“Last month, we helped people in Guwahati serve champagne at a party (the cases had to be transported from Kolkata by road — champagne doesn’t do well in the air). Before that, we procured it for a business family in Lucknow who wanted to gift a case to an official. We’ve overseen it being served at the naming ceremony of a baby who also got a silver teaspoon of it.” And, of course, in the metros, “weddings of a certain kind of family these days are incomplete without champagne”, he told Business Standard. “In India now, people are restlessly looking for ways to declare: ‘How am I different?’ Champagne is a polished, sophisticated way of announcing: ‘I’ve arrived’.”
The Comité Champagne, which represents growers and manufacturing houses in France’s Champagne region, set up its India bureau in 2006. Singhal was appointed president and has since made it his mission to promote champagne in the country. Senior representatives of the Comité Champagne were in Delhi earlier this week, not just to explore a burgeoning market and leverage the duty cuts the India–European Union (EU) free trade agreement (FTA) promises when finalised (from 150 per cent currently to 20 per cent over seven years after signing), but also to learn about Indian customs and traditions.
Comité Champagne Chief Executive Officer David Chatillon is half in love with India. “Southeast Asia — Thailand, for instance — is known for its tradition of hospitality. But in India, it is different. It is not obsequiousness. It is the desire to genuinely please a guest.”
To forge a bond with India, the Comité Champagne team travelled to Darjeeling where, in addition to seeing an Indian election at close quarters, it signed a memorandum of understanding with some of the bigger tea estates such as Makaibari. Champagne enjoys a Geographical Indication tag. So does Darjeeling tea. Both are iconic brands and face similar challenges: climate change, retaining labour and infusing fresh blood, and refining and strengthening strains.
When the Comité Champagne shared how, in 2021, farmers in part of the champagne-producing region lost 65 per cent of the grape crop because temperatures rose too sharply, tea growers empathised. In turn, they spoke of a labour crunch, as young people no longer find plucking leaves fulfilling — they would rather work in big cities. “We’re going to see how we can learn from them and teach them what we know,” Chatillon said.
Much of the Comité Champagne’s — and Singhal’s — task is to educate Indians about champagne, beyond it being just a status symbol. Not all sparkling wine is champagne — it has to be made in Champagne, with grapes grown in 319 villages, each with different microclimates and subsoils. Champagne can accompany baingan ka bharta (smoked eggplant mash) or vathal kuzhambu (a stew made with sun-dried berries) alike. But it has to be transported and stored properly.
India’s temperature variations pose a big challenge. “Champagne is very rarely a vintage. It is kept two to three years at best,” said Maxime Toubart, co-president of the Comité Champagne. Storage and transportation are critically important. Most champagne is exported in refrigerated containers by sea, as the community avoids air transport because of its carbon footprint. At Indian ports, Customs has become more conscious of the fragility of the commodity, Singhal says. Developed road infrastructure and efficient cold chains are helping, but the big challenge remains loading and unloading.
However, this pales in comparison to how champagne is presented in shops, hotels, and duty-free outlets. “A certain outlet in Mumbai, which shall remain unnamed, chose to display its collection of champagne under halogen lights!” Singhal said, with a shudder.
The Comité Champagne believes the India–EU FTA is inevitable, even if delayed. But to take advantage of it, India has to relearn how to enjoy champagne. Consumption in 2025 was around 60,000 bottles, up 36 per cent over 2024. Singhal agrees the base is low, but is thankful the market has recovered after the pandemic, which wiped out demand in India. “People have to know that champagne is not just bubbles rising in a flute. It is a lifestyle. I believe we’re getting there.”
Gaining body beyond metros
About 60,000 bottles consumed in 2025, up 36% on-year
Tariff hangover set to ease
India–EU FTA could cut duties from 150% to 20% over seven years
Not all bubbles are equal
Champagne remains tightly defined — grapes from 319 villages, reinforcing its premium edge
Learning the terroir game
Tieups like Darjeeling signal a cross-learning curve on climate, labour, and craft
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