Agnece France is reporting "the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, or I.N.A.O., the official body that determines France's wine laws, has decided to expand the country's Champagne-producing region to meet growing worldwide demand. A century-old law has restricted Champagne production to just 370 villages in northeastern France, but with demand soaring largely because of newly affluent consumers in Russia, India and China and outstripping supply, the group is admitting 40 more communities. For those joining the exclusive club of Champagne producers, the move will be extremely lucrative, according to Gilles Flutet of the I.N.A.O. On one side of the divide, land is worth about $3,000 a hectare, not quite two and a half acres, but its value rises to nearly $1.5 million a hectare on the other side, he said. Champagne producers exported 150 million bottles last year, a record."
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