Prosecco sales rise 22.6% in French hospitality as Champagne declines
Prosecco purchases by French hospitality businesses increased 22.6% in 2025, while Champagne volumes fell 5.5%. A wholesale price of €5.30 per bottle is helping the Italian sparkling wine gain ground as restaurants and consumers focus more closely on cost.
Prosecco leads sparkling-wine growth
Prosecco purchases by French restaurants, hotels and cafés increased 22.6% in 2025 from the previous year, the strongest performance among the principal sparkling wines tracked in the market. Champagne volumes declined 5.5% over the same period, although the French product retained a substantial 21% share of sparkling-wine volumes.
The figures come from a Gira foodservice analysis for FranceAgriMer and CNIV, based on wine purchases made through nine leading wholesalers and cash-and-carry operators. Italia a Tavola reported that France’s out-of-home channel accounts for 40% of the country’s total wine consumption, making purchasing decisions by hospitality businesses an important measure of demand.
Sparkling wine was the only wine category to grow against 2019. Its 2025 volume was 16.5% higher and its value 6.2% higher than in that pre-pandemic year. Compared with 2024, volumes rose 6.3%, while value increased by about 1%. Still wine remained dominant with 88% of volumes, leaving sparkling wine with 12%.
Price gap reshapes restaurant purchasing
The divergence is even larger over the longer term. Prosecco volumes in 2025 were 175% above 2019 levels, while Crémant d’Alsace gained 14%. Champagne remained more than 25% below its pre-pandemic volume. In the annual comparison, Crémant d’Alsace rose 5.4%, whereas Lambrusco declined 2.3%.
Wholesale bottle prices help explain the shift. Champagne’s average price increased 17% between 2019 and 2025 to €21.16 per bottle. Prosecco averaged €5.30, roughly one-quarter of the Champagne price. Its price was 5% above 2019 but lower than in 2024, giving hospitality buyers more room to offer sparkling wine at accessible menu prices.
Prosecco’s positioning is close to other lower-priced European alternatives. Crémant de Loire averaged €5.55 per bottle and Cava €5.36, while Crémant d’Alsace reached €6.73 and Crémant de Bourgogne €7.29. The narrow differences in this tier mean suppliers compete not only on price, but also on recognition, availability and suitability for by-the-glass service.
Consumers reduce spending outside the home
The study links these purchasing patterns to inflation and greater consumer sensitivity to prices. French customers are ordering fewer dishes than before and seeking establishments that offer cheaper wine or promotions. Restaurants therefore have an incentive to limit beverage costs without removing sparkling wine from their menus.
Restaurants represented 48% of wine volumes sold in the French out-of-home market in 2025, equivalent to 711,000 hectolitres. Within this channel, Prosecco’s combination of an established identity and a relatively low purchase price supports listings in restaurants and hotels. Still-wine volumes, by contrast, declined 25% in 2025.
The data do not indicate that Prosecco has displaced Champagne from its premium role: Champagne still controls more than one-fifth of sparkling-wine volume. They do show that growth is concentrated at more affordable price points. For Italian producers and distributors, France offers expanding professional demand; for Champagne houses and hospitality operators, the widening price difference raises the challenge of maintaining volumes among cost-conscious customers.
