Champagne growers race to preserve quality in record-early harvest
Record heat and drought sped ripening and cut yields, while growers said 43% of potential production was lost to spring frosts.
- On the hillsides of Hautvillers, production director Alexandre Gobillard of the Gobillard & Fils Champagne house began harvesting earlier than ever as extreme heat and drought accelerated ripening in mid-August.
- David Chatillon, president of the Union of Champagne Houses, attributed a 43% drop in potential yields to spring frosts and drought, challenges the industry has adapted to for the past 25 years.
- Hand harvesting requires around 120 workers recruited from across France and Poland, commercial director Geoffrey Bonnet-Gobillard noted, creating significant logistical constraints for early August dates.
- According to the Comité Champagne 2026 report, the industry shipped 266.1 million bottles last year, generating $6.6 billion in sales, with exports accounting for 56.5% of shipments.
- Harvest cycles have compressed from 100 days after flowering to 80 days, according to Gobillard, and producers may soon reconsider long-established practices as agricultural machinery becomes more sophisticated.
24 Articles
24 Articles
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Drought and heatwaves have pushed French winegrowers to start picking grapes weeks ahead of schedule, with this year seeing some of the earliest harvests on record – a sign of how climate change is reshaping…
Associated Press News
Champagne growers race to preserve quality in record-early harvest
Champagne producers are racing to pick grapes as the region experiences its earliest harvest on record.
The grapes have suffered from successive waves of heat. The wine growers have precipitated the harvest and fear that the quality will not be at the rendezvous because of the fruit too small and too sweet. In Champagne, the harvest is four times lower than usual in places. It is never seen, but the reserves of previous years will compensate. The fear is now that these years will be repeated. If the taste of champagne changes, the sector could be …
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