Imports of Bubbly, Caviar Lower in Germany

Imports of caviar and champagne – items particularly important for German New Year celebrations -- fell notably in 2002, the German Statistics office said. Germany imported just 17,400 kilos of caviar in 2002, 5.4 percent a year earlier. Some 8.5 million liters of champagne were imported from France – 3.9 percent lower than the previous year. In 1993 Germany imported nearly 100,000 kilos of caviar. And champagne imports reached a high in 1997, at 13.6 million liters.