After riding one of the biggest booms in its history, the champagne train seems to have hit the buffers. Price increases for champagnes over the past few years have been beating inflation - and increases for "trendy" rose champagnes have been shocking. Roses that used to cost a few dollars more than their blanc de blanc cousin from the same producer can now run $30 or more higher.

Bad news for producers, but probably good news for consumers: the big spenders around the world are cutting back on the real-deal bubbly. This report in The Economist notes a 10% drop in champagne shipments in 08 - and then points out that these figures only include the first three quarters of the year.

At this rate, it looks like champagne deals in the New Year. Let's hope the Vintages team is on the case.