International

France Plans Lucrative Champagne Expansion

By Eleanor Beardsley

Published May 9, 2008 at 3:00 AM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

The official body that determines France's wine laws has decided to expand the country's champagne-producing region to meet growing worldwide demand.

A century-old law has restricted champagne production to just 370 villages in northeastern France, but with demand now outstripping supply, the group is admitting 40 more communities.

For those joining the exclusive club of champagne producers, the move will be extremely lucrative.

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Eleanor Beardsley

Eleanor Beardsley began reporting from France for NPR in 2004 as a freelance journalist, following all aspects of French society, politics, economics, culture and gastronomy. Since then, she has steadily worked her way to becoming an integral part of the NPR Europe reporting team.

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