Major industry players have issued a bubble-bursting forecast warning that retail prices will rise by as much as six percent in the UK alone.

Several champagne houses agreed that the rise in grape prices from the Champagne region’s 2011 harvest will be unavoidably passed on to the consumer.

Estimates vary between a three to six percent rise in retail prices, reported industry wine publication Decanter magazine this week.

At the London launch of Duval-Leroy’s 2000 vintage cuvée Femme de Champagne, owner Carol Duval-Leroy warned that the rise in prices could turn consumers away from the French bubbly and towards cheaper alternatives like Italian Prosecco.

Boizel Chanoine Champagne or Lanson-BCC, also confirmed that prices of its bottles are expected to rise by up to three percent, as did Champagne Mailly which pegged the increase of grand cru material at five percent.

Source: AFPrelaxnews