Marissa Ocasio on the US champagne market

I did get the EU/UK time wrong, (mea culpa) but this conversation may be the most useful one I have had this year, especially for US champagne lovers and for Champagne producers wanting to export to the US.

Marissa’s profound knowledge of the American wine market helped to explain several points:

1. How to coax consumers into buying grower’s champagne and the importance of tastings

2. Wineshop conversations create trust and are a great way for consumers to learn more and discover new wines.

3. The three tier system and its im pact on Champagne pricing (and why it therefore is not a great idea to go through a French broker) , especially looking at the average FOB price.

4. Consumer’s ignorance that champagne can only come from Champagne, with most people thinking champagne is just a synonym for sparkling wine

5. While consumers may be confused about champagne, the know and ask for prosecco - wanting the sparkling wine from Italy

6. Why choosing the right importer is so critical, and to get the right match it is important to study the US market, and check out importer’s portfolio and relationships with distributors.

7. Attending trade shows in the US to talk to better understand the market - there is not one market, rather there are 50 different markets and it is important to understand this.

8. The importance of brand power - I reminded Marissa that export sales are heavily dominated by houses. (eg big brands) In the first 5 months of 2026 - houses were responsible for 87% of all exports, growers have 7% of the export markets and the remaining 6% is filled by cooperatives. The 2025 shows a similar breakdown for the volume sales (86.9 % houses, 5.4% growers and 5.2% cooperatives) but when one tallies up the figures it seems 2.5 % is missing equaling 639 thousand bottles. Often there are small anomalies in the CIVC figures, generally brought about by rounding errors.

9. Finally, there is an interest in sparkling wine, and champagne still sells. In her shop Marissa caries 2 rows of Champagne vs 1 row of Cava and several of other sparkling wines. The consumer has a lot of choice, it’s important to be aware of this.

   I really enjoyed our talk, it is a little longer than the usual (50 minutes) but I hope it will add value to those looking for more information and a different point of view.

   Thank you to everyone who tuned in earlier on!

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