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Will a Champagne shortage ruin your New Year's Eve toast? Why it's harder to find sparkling wine

Kelly Tyko
USA TODAY

A shortage of Champagne may not just mean a less bubbly New Year. It may take some of the sparkle out of your upcoming celebrations.

According to Wine Enthusiast, the nation is in the early stages of a Champagne shortage that is expected to last several years.

As the world reaches the two-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, more items are becoming scarce because of global supply chain disruptions such as congestion at ports and shortages of truck drivers and service workers.

Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management, told USA TODAY that the nation will see “less and less champagne” in the foreseeable future.

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“Increased demand, low grape yields due to climate change and weather events and congested ports will make it harder to get Champagne,” Penfield said. “Prices are going up due to this lack of supply. We could see Champagne shortages till 2025.”

Drizly, North America's largest alcohol e-commerce and on-demand delivery platform, surveyed 500 alcohol retailers and found that 80% said they were at least slightly concerned about the Champagne supply running short.

Even with the shortages, Liz Paquette, Drizly head of consumer insights, said Champagne and prosecco continue to be the top-selling sparkling wines with 63% and 18% of market share.

“With demand holding strong for Champagne and prosecco, we aren’t seeing signs that consumers are seeking alternatives just yet on Drizly but can anticipate impacts due to the supply chain strains as we get deeper into the holiday season,” Paquette said.

Jason Gold, co-owner of Gold's Wine and Spirits in Middletown, Rhode Island, told the Newport Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Network, that some of the best Champagne with which to toast are Dom Perignon and Warren Perrier.

"Unfortunately, you can't get any of them because of supply chain issues," said Gold said.

Gold said his customers are turning to more American wines, such as Schramsberg, and proseccos instead of the French sparkling wine.

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Contributing: Bethany Brunelle-Raja, Newport Daily News

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