Champagne's Earliest Harvest on Record Underway After Extreme Weather

Champagne producers are rushing to harvest their grapes as the region begins its earliest harvest on record. Extreme heat and drought have accelerated ripening, leaving growers a narrow window to protect the quality of the world-famous sparkling wine.

On the hillsides of Hautvillers, a UNESCO World Heritage site, teams of pickers began work at 6:30 a.m. For Alexandre Gobillard, production director at the Gobillard & Fils Champagne house, the mid-August start was once unthinkable.

"It's historic in Champagne," he said. "I've been working at the estate for 30 years, and when I started, my father used to tell me: 'On Aug. 15, go on vacation.' Today, it's Aug. 18 and we're in full harvest. We've never seen anything like it."

The official harvest opened between Aug. 12 and Aug. 17 this year, depending on the area and grape variety — roughly a month earlier than was once common.

Gobillard described a season of extremes: a late-March frost after early budburst, followed by four heatwaves — a sequence never recorded before. Sun-scorched grapes turned partially brown, a sight he said he had rarely witnessed. He estimated that losing about 10% of the grapes would reduce volume but not harm quality.

Earlier harvests have become increasingly frequent across French wine regions as temperatures climb. "My grandfather's generation harvested 100 days after flowering, my father's 90 days, and today we're down to 80," Gobillard said. "We're going to have to change our habits."

Despite the challenges, he remained optimistic about this year's crop. "I'm very happy with what I'm seeing," he said. "We were worried that the drought would leave us with very light bunches, but in these plots we're really pleased. The quantity should be sufficient and the quality will be there."

But time is short. "It's time to cut them. We're going to have to move quickly," he added.