Supply-chain problems hit Champagne industry

Wine supply chain issues

Wine Spectator senior editor Alison Napjus tells Fox Business that a "perfect storm" of factors is causing a shortage of some popular wines from France and other parts of Europe.

NEW YORK - In just a few days, corks will be popping to celebrate the new year. But supply-chain issues have hit the wine industry hard. Retailers are reporting a shortage of sparkling wine, including Champagne.

Wine Spectator senior editor Alison Napjus told Fox Business that a "perfect storm of a lot of factors" is affecting the supply.

"You've got the ships where the Champagne is coming over, but you've also got trucks in France that need to get it from the winery to the port," Napjus said. "And then they're shipping it over and you need to have trucks here in the U.S."

She added that the shipping problems aren't the only thing affecting the supply.

"We're also looking at things like shortages of the cage that goes on top of your bottle, labels, boxes to put wine in," Napjus said. "So you put that all together with the huge increase in demand we've seen for Champagne this year for other sparkling wines. And of course, the holiday season."

Rough harvests and booming demand are also playing roles in this year's Champagne shortage. So Napjus said you may have a hard time finding your favorite wine.

But several countries make sparkling wine, including Italy, Spain, and the United States so you should be able to enjoy an alternative to the French bubbly.

Read more at FoxBusiness.com.

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