By Elissa Darwish
MONTGUEUX, France Aug 17 (Reuters) – In the Champagne region of northeast France, dozens of workers gathered among chardonnay vines at dawn on August 14, secateurs and buckets in hand, beginning the second day of the earliest harvest since records began in the early 20th century. Climatic changes such as the record heat and drought endured across swathes of Europe this summer are testing the resilience of France’s champagne industry. Higher temperatures accelerate ripening and produce grapes with a higher sugar content, making it harder to preserve champagne’s flavour and acidity. This summer the Champagne Committee (CIVC), the industry’s governing body, which determines harvest dates by monitoring grape maturity, advanced the official start date to August 12 — more than a week earlier than last year’s August 20.
“There’s no August vacation for winemakers,” laughed Benoit Velut, 39, owner of ‘Champagne Jean Velut’ in the village of Montgueux, which produces about 28,000 bottles annually.
Behind him on the sloping vineyard in the south of the Champagne region, a couple of dozen seasonal workers moved swiftly along the vine rows. Their faces and arms were covered in dust and glistening with sweat in the early morning sun as temperatures climbed.
Velut’s father Denis, 67, who handed over the vineyard to his son, said that when he was a child, the grape harvest took place after school resumed.
“It used to be in late September and mostly in October, a time of year that was still pretty cool,” the older winemaker recalled. “Back in the late 1990s, if someone had told me I’d be harvesting grapes before August 15, I would have said, ‘Come on, let’s be reasonable’,” he said.
Wine producers in other European countries including Spain have also begun their grape harvests much earlier than usual this year due to the scorching temperatures. Some fear heavy losses due to the impact of heat and drought. EARLIER HARVESTS This year’s drought and heatwaves have brought additional burdens to a champagne industry already contending with weaker sales because of shifting consumer habits. Vincent Finot, another winemaker in Montgueux, obtained special permission from the authorities to begin harvesting on August 6, the earliest date on record in all of Champagne, after tests showed the acidity of his grapes dropping sharply. “I didn’t dare wait any longer,” he said, surprised by the exceptional earliness of this year’s harvest. Rising temperatures have pushed French grape harvests progressively earlier over recent decades, experts said. “On average, across all French vineyards, including those in Champagne, the harvest dates have moved up by about 21 days over the past 50 years,” said agroclimatologist Serge Zaka. “The entire cycle of vines is affected,” Zaka said. According to the Champagne Committee, around 30% of this year’s crop was lost to spring frost. Heat and drought have further reduced yields. Stephane Vignon, a winemaker in the village of Verzenay, said some bunches of grapes weighed nearly 30% less than their typical weight. ADAPTING METHODS In anticipation of lower yields, champagne producers have relied on reserve stocks. “We have implemented a system… that allows us (in poor harvests) to reintroduce wines that are stored in tanks to replace the portion of the harvest lost,” said CIVC co-president Maxime Toubart. Champagne’s challenges offer a sparkling opportunity to British winemakers. Southern England’s chalky soil and more moderate temperatures — even if trending higher — mirror conditions in Champagne several decades ago. French champagne houses Taittinger and Pommery have both made investments. Even though grape vines are historically “one of the most resilient species in France”, Zaka said, they will need to adapt to increasingly frequent climate shocks. Traditional practices will need to evolve to preserve champagne’s acidity and quality, within the bounds of the appellation’s rules, he said. These might include planting more resilient grape varieties and maintaining ground cover to retain moisture. Denis Velut said champagne might evolve towards wines that are warmer and higher in alcohol content. “They might lose a little of that very ethereal, airy and light character that defines champagne,” he said.
(Reporting and writing by Elissa Darwish in Montgueux; Editing by Richard Lough and Gareth Jones)
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