What is your average spend per bottle of Champagne in your collection?
$25-$39
$40-$50
$50-60
$60-70
$70-80
$80-90
$90-100
$100+
0voters
Sadly, Champagne makes up the smallest part of my cellar. Currently, I’m only sitting on four bottles. I used to have 3-4ish times that amount back when I was scoring cheap bottles on Winebid before they cut off their free local pickup. These days, I’m really only picking up bottles when I’m lucky enough to find them on closeout (just scored 2 2006 Deutz for $30 per). With retail prices on decent NVs starting well north of $30 per, I find my wine dollars stretch much further in other regions. All this got me thinking. As Champagne is almost always priced as a “luxury” product, how much on average are you paying for a bottle of Champers these days?
Average is $60, but I definitely drink more in the $40-$50 range. The average is higher due to the presence of some splurge-type bottles in the mix. While the cost-of-entry in Champagne is higher than in many other regions, I still find it to be relatively good value on the whole (if you shop carefully).
I’m only newly serious to Champagne, and I’ve found that finding a house that makes Champagne (or sparkling wine) in a style I like is much more important than how much the bottle costs, and I’m still looking for bottles that I like enough to spend a lot of money on. That being said, I typically like vintage Champagne much more than NV and generally the NV I buy is consumed the same day/week and I’m much more likely to add vintage Champagne to my collection. I’ve been finding some vintage Champagne I love for about $80, so that’s where the average of my Champagne collection lies. However, the majority of the sparkling wine I drink (as opposed to collect) is between $20 - $40 or so dollars, especially as it’s not uncommon for me to enjoy a $25ish bottle of Cremant as much or more than entry level $40 NV Champagnes.
I’m currently in the 40-50 which is slightly skewed from a recent trip to Champagne where I brought home a case of wines that probably averaged $25/bottle purchased at the wineries.
Well over $100 a bottle, even considering a bunch of half bottles and a bunch I got as gifts (so zero cost). Its backfilling mature champagne. That’s a killer.
I just haven’t found the higher price of vintage champagne to be justified. I get enough enjoyment out of aged domestic sparklers like Domaine Carneros, Roederer L’Ermitage and even NV Rodederer Estate. Yeah, I’m the one vote (currently) in the $25-$39 bracket. Cheers!
You’re not alone. I’m also right around $30 on average. Not splurging on the vintage stuff like I used to. More $ going towards white Burgs and Mosel Rieslings.