French heatwave to cut Champagne yields by 10%

France’s prolonged summer heat and drought are shrinking grape development across major wine regions, with Champagne growers expecting yields to fall around 10% and harvests beginning weeks earlier than normal.

France’s prolonged summer heatwave is expected to reduce grape yields across several of the country’s leading wine regions, with Champagne producers forecasting a crop around 10% smaller than last year.

Growers in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne say weeks of hot, dry weather have slowed grape development, while younger vines have suffered damage as water reserves diminish.

Laurent Delaunay, chairman of Burgundy wine industry body BIVB, said growers were watching potential yields decline.

“We can see the potential melting away in the sun,” he said. “Growers are mainly worried about the lack of water.”

Weather forecasts indicate little or no rainfall across France’s principal wine regions before mid-July, extending dry conditions that have already persisted for more than three weeks in many areas.

Earliest Champagne harvest on record

Champagne producers now expect what could become the earliest harvest on record, with picking likely to begin around 15 August, roughly a month earlier than was typical only a few decades ago.

Maxime Toubart, chairman of the Champagne winegrowers’ union, said current estimates point to grape yields around 10% lower than last year, although final Champagne production may be less affected because houses can draw on reserve wines.

“We were lucky to have a very wet winter, so the soil was not too dry to begin with. But now we can see the grapes are not getting any bigger,” he said.

He added that substantial rainfall without accompanying storms over the next fortnight could still improve the outlook.

Burgundy and Bordeaux brace for losses

In Burgundy and Bordeaux, where temperatures have been even higher, producers say it remains too early to quantify losses precisely but expect output to fall significantly.

While winemakers do not necessarily anticipate lower quality, prolonged heat and drought are increasing sugar accumulation in grapes, potentially affecting alcohol levels and flavour profiles.

Harvesting is also expected to begin unusually early elsewhere, with Bordeaux’s Crémant producers likely to start picking during the first week of August, while Burgundy’s harvest is expected to commence around 20 August.

Climate pressure continues

The latest forecasts add to mounting concerns over the impact of climate change on French viticulture.

As previously reported by the drinks business, French wine is facing pressure from a combination of shifting consumer habits and increasingly challenging growing conditions. Earlier this year, beer overtook wine consumption in France for the first time in modern history, while the International Organisation of Vine and Wine reported that French wine production remained well below its five-year average following repeated extreme weather events.

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