Britain tops champagne league

Champagne shipments to Britain fell by just over 15 per cent last year, with a total of 30,523,359 bottles imported, said the Champagne Bureau.

The figures were equivalent to 2002 levels but healthier than a forecasted 40 per cent drop.

Meanwhile shipments to the US dropped by almost 30 per cent, with exports there and to Germany falling back to early 1990 levels. Britain drank the same amount of champagne as the US, Germany and Belgium combined last year.

Champagne Bureau director Francoise Peretti said: "These figures show the combination of the UK's international population who have brought their champagne habit...and the British love for it, helped along by the food revolution here."