Thanks to Jim Budd for posting the press release from Benoît Roumet of the Bureau de Centre. If you would like to read the full post in French you can find it on Jim's blog here but here are a few points that I took from it and translated into English.
'With a progression of 12% on the export market and an increase of 5% on the French market, the wines of the Central Vineyards have had a very successful campaign despite the environment of economic crisis.
At the end of July 2011 sales of wines from the Centre Loire had increased by 11% with more than 38 million bottles spread across the export and domestic markets.
Appellations with the highest profile are Sancerre and Coteaux de Giennois with an increase of 16% in the export of Sancerre white and 10% for the Coteaux du Giennois whites. Quincy's drop in exports has been compensated for by the French market. Other appellations have equally developed their sales with the exception of Reuilly which has seen a slight reduction of 2%.
A few figures
8 appellations make up the Central Vineyards: Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Coteaux du Giennois, Chateaumeillant, Pouilly-sur-Loire.
There are:
360 vignerons
35 négociants
5 Co-operatives
Production 2010 amounts to 42 million bottles of which 82% is white (up 10% when compared to the average of the past 5 years).
Sales over 12 months at the end of July 2011 were 38,1 million bottles of which 45% was exported to 110 countries around the world. Whites represent more than 92% of exports from this region.'
