Cognac exports rose once again in 2006 thanks to booming demand in Asia-Pacific & rising sales of premium vintages, industry figures show. Sales last year rose 7% in volume terms to 152M bottles, according to data from the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC). Export revenues rose 11% to EUR1.5bn (US$1.9bn). 2006 year was the fifth consecutive year of growth, the BNIC said. Cognac exports to Asia-Pacific soared 23% with strong demand in China. Sales in Singapore rose 25% & by 17.8% in Hong Kong. EU sales rose 6% with exports to key markets including the UK, Germany & Holland all rising. Exports to Russia, meanwhile, jumped 17%. However, exports to Scandinavia fell with shipments to Norway down 5% & sales in Finland down 2%. Exports to N America rose by 2% with sales in the US, Cognac's largest export market, inching up 1.5%. Sales in Canada rose 6%, while exports to Mexico leapt by 31%, although from a smaller base. Les Cognaçais sold more their premium vintages last year with sales of XO Cognac jumping 18%. Exports of standard VS Cognac, which account for over half of all sales, rose 2.6% thanks to strong growth in Asia-Pacific.
