Sip Champagnes announces first US export deal

By James Bayley

Published: 04 May, 2023

Online retailer Sip Champagnes is now shipping to California, Florida, Illinois and Montana, with talks underway to expand its range of grower champagnes in other parts of the US.

The first shipment from the range includes Famille Delouvin; Louis Brochet; Alexis, Beaugrand; Didier Herbert; A. Levasseur; and Hélène Beaugrand.

Formed in 2021 by business partners, Daniel Blatchford (right) and Peter Crawford (left), Sip Champagnes sources and supplies, “small-batch, handcrafted Champagne straight to consumers and the hospitality trade”.

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In less than three years, Sip Champagnes has established itself as a leading UK online Grower Champagne retailer. The company’s US expansion comes during a time of unprecedented growth for the sparkling category across the pond.

The US is now the top export market for Champagne. Sales soared by 19.4% to $998m in 2022, with American wine lovers developing a taste for quality cuvées, the retailer reports.

Boasting what is said to be the “UK’s largest collection of 60 Champagne producers and over 236 individual cuvées from across 25 villages in its range”, the company is striving to break the monopoly of big wine houses and supermarket Champagnes.

Daniel Blatchford, co-founder of Sip Champagnes, said: “It was always part of our plan to export to the United States. Grower Champagne is underrepresented worldwide and our ambition was to create a model that would be global. The US is a huge market, with a great wine trade established and a growing appetite for the most interesting, artisan products.

“The US market demands well-made, sustainably minded champagnes. The American consumer cares about how the grapes are farmed, how the land is treated, who makes the wine and what their story is. Of course, it also needs to be delicious, but that is not the only factor that determines the final consumer choice.”

Over the past year, Sip Champagnes has been working in partnership with Cage Imports to create the infrastructure needed to make its first shipment to the US this spring. The firm plans to continue working in partnership with Cage Imports to expand its range across the US in 2023 and beyond.

Blatchford added: “Brexit has complicated things for exporters in general. We had to create a French subsidiary as it was too difficult and costly to go via the UK, although this came with its own set of challenges.

“Similarly, across the channel, there are a new set of difficulties, namely state-by-state alcohol licensing laws. As such, we have chosen to partner with an established Champagne professional who shares our ethos but, crucially, has experience navigating the import and distribution network. This will make it far quicker and simpler to get our Champagne to market.”

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