Between a rock and a hard place

Tomorrow the Bureau Executif (BE) of the Comité Champagne (CIVC) will (normally) announce the commercial yield for the appellation. Discussion have been going on for a while, and the rumor mill has thrown up any number between 9000 and 7000 kg/ha, with lately 8800 and 8000 being mentioned the most. At 34,200 hectares, this equates to 250.8 million bottles and 228 million bottles respectively. With stock levels at a record high (1.294 billion bottles at the end of July 2025 equaling 4.84 years of stock), and many houses experiencing cashflow issues, it makes little sense to shave so little off the stocks.