Loads of rubbish Thomas, Champaign is an enjoyable drink, that goes down well! It also doesn't add the same calories as beer! I enjoy a good smoke and a few glasses of champaign! mmmm!!

Adam Webb, MK, UK

Anyone ever tried Cava or Prosecco?

Will, London,

Two and a half hectares? Who would have imagined that in 2007 there would be farrmers in western Europe practically strip farming. In any other economy these plots would be conglomerated and intensified, leading to greater yield and lower overheads. Result: more champagne for consumers, more money for growers. Only in France do farmers cling to this closed pre-industrial model.

Anthony Charlton, Swindon,

Saumur is better than non-vintage champagne.
Drink that at a reasonable price.

Rdhead, Celles, France

Why should these guys part with their bottles ?? To keep prices (and profits) low on the british market while abandoning the markets of the future to competitors ?
What lies in their cellars would postpone the offer/demand discrepancy for a few years, not solve it. And those bottles are a much better investment for future retirees than any financial product (especially sub-prime derived stuff)
This strategy worked well for OPEC, smart management of a commodity in limited supply in order to maximize profit, why would peasant from Champagne give up potential profit to please anybody. As for the english, they have Nyetimber, so why do they want Champagne, after writing again and again than their own stuff is much better...

Phil, Shanghai,

Once again the French vineyards are shooting themselves in the foot. By refusing to expand with the times, only the very best will sell in the future. Chile, Spain and other producers will take over 90% of their markets. The quality is not there yet, but it soon will be.

Nick, Guayaquil, Ecuador

Gives me a headache.

Judy , Liverpool, england

Give me a Green Point sparkling wine from Australia any day over the over priced base level French champagnes. Just as good and cheaper because you don't have to pay for a French label.

A Jackson, London, UK

Could this be another error on behalf of French wine growers ?
There are many sparkling wine [ champagne by another name ] growers in the world, not least the one with a growing [ sorry about the pun ] in England.
If people just start to look around & stop being snobbish about the word ' champagne ' on the label, they can find stuff just as good in other countries.
France's loss could be someone else's gain , & frankly I hope it proves to be so.

Maggie Millington, Brittany , France

Perhaps this will push the price up enough that once again it will be for the exclusive enjoyment of us rich-folk.

Bill Akins, Rehoboth Beach, USA

Who cares ... Over priced and over rated .

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,

Tis their stuff after all, they are workin hard for it, don't they?
Moreover, champagne is supposed to be a quality product, so don't expect producers to double their production - quality would disappear, wouldn't it?
Main problem is everyone wants to be/look rich by the same ways. Why don't they drink excellent whiskies or armagnac? Arr, lack of taste, yes. I had forgotten.

Thomas, Paris,