Champagne Brands 2026: Why Moët, Veuve Clicquot & Co. Are Gaining Value While Still Wine Struggles
When I first saw the numbers from the new Brand Finance report, I had to look twice. Veuve Clicquot up 39 percent in brand value in a single year? Dom Pérignon newly entering the top 10 most valuable wine and Champagne brands worldwide? And all this at a time when, according to the OIV, global wine consumption is noticeably declining and even Champagne is under pressure with shipment volumes. At first glance, that seems contradictory. But to me, that's exactly what makes it interesting.
What Brand Finance actually measures
Before I get into my take on this, a quick clarification, since this often gets mixed up: the brand value in this report is not revenue, and it's definitely not a quality rating. It's calculated using the so called Royalty Relief method, which in simple terms estimates how much a company would have to pay if it had to license its own brand name from someone else. On top of that comes the Brand Strength Index, which combines marketing investment, customer loyalty, and business performance. What's interesting about this distinction: Barefoot from the USA is, according to the BSI, the "strongest" brand in the entire ranking, with 85.1 out of 100 points, but nowhere near the most valuable. That shows me how differently brands can be measured depending on what you actually want to know.
Moët stays on top, Veuve Clicquot surges
Moët & Chandon defends its number one spot among all wine and Champagne brands worldwide with a brand value of 2.3 billion US dollars (up 12 percent). Honestly, that doesn't surprise me. Moët is probably the Champagne brand that even people who have never had a glass of sparkling wine would recognize. What interests me more is Veuve Clicquot: jumping from fourth to second place, up 39 percent to 1.4 billion US dollars. That's the strongest growth in the entire ranking. And then there's Dom Pérignon, newly in ninth place, up 21 percent. All three belong to the same group, LVMH, or more precisely Moët Hennessy. What you can take from this is that a large house with a big marketing budget and global presence can position its brands even more strongly during a consumption slump than before.
Still wine loses, Champagne gains, but why?
Four out of six still wine brands in the ranking lost value, in some cases dramatically: Penfolds down 32 percent, Changyu down 22 percent. At the same time, Champagne brands overall are gaining. As someone who spends a lot of personal time on this topic, that fits an observation I've had for a while: Champagne is increasingly positioned as an occasion drink rather than an everyday companion to food. The quote from Henry Farr in the report sums it up well, people are drinking less wine overall but still spending money on brands that stand for special moments. A bottle of Moët for an anniversary, Veuve Clicquot for a promotion, Dom Pérignon as a gift. That's emotional capital, not a thirst quenching business.
What this means for grower Champagne
This is where it gets interesting for me as someone who loves small growers. This ranking reflects pure marketing power and global brand perception, not what's actually happening in the glass. Not a single grower Champagne shows up here, and that is unlikely to change any time soon, because the methodology is built around massive marketing budgets and worldwide distribution. That doesn't mean the big brands are worse, that would be a cheap reversal of the argument. It just means that brand value and what's in the bottle tell two completely different stories. Dom Pérignon is rightfully an icon. But when I'm at home opening a bottle from a small grower in the Côte des Bar, I'm paying for craftsmanship and terroir, not for a gold bottle with a big name on it.
My takeaway
What fascinates me most about this report isn't who came out on top, but what it reveals about our drinking habits. We're drinking less, but more mindfully, and when we open Champagne, we want it to mark a moment. The big houses have understood that and are building their brands accordingly. As an enthusiast, I take that as a reminder to look beyond the familiar names for my next special occasion too. Brand value may belong to the big players, but your personal favorite sip doesn't have to.