HAUTVILLERS, France (AP) 鈥� Champagne producers are racing to pick their grapes as the region鈥檚 earliest harvest on record gets underway, after accelerated ripening, leaving growers a narrow window to preserve the quality of the region鈥檚 world-famous sparkling wine.
On the hillsides of Hautvillers, teams of grape pickers start work at 6:30 a.m. among rows of vines that were recognized as a World Heritage site in 2015.
For Alexandre Gobillard, production director at the Gobillard & Fils Champagne house, beginning the harvest in mid-August was once almost unthinkable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 historic in Champagne,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been working at the estate for 30 years, and when I started, my father used to tell me: 鈥極n Aug. 15, go on vacation.鈥� Today, it鈥檚 Aug. 18 and we鈥檙e in full harvest. We鈥檝e never seen anything like it.鈥�
At 50, Gobillard represents the fourth generation to work the family vineyards. Gobillard & Fils grows 40 hectares (about 100 acres) of vines and produces about 1.5 million bottles a year.
A changing climate brings an earlier harvest
Champagne鈥檚 official harvest opened between Aug. 12 and Aug. 17 this year, depending on the area and grape variety 鈥� roughly a month earlier than what was once common in the region.
A late-March frost hit vines after mild temperatures triggered early budburst, reducing the potential crop. It was followed by four heat waves, which never happened before, Gobillard said.
Sun-scorched grapes turned partially brown, something Gobillard said he had rarely seen. He explained that losing roughly 10% of the grapes would mean a loss in volume rather than affect the quality of the wine.
Earlier harvests have become increasingly common in Champagne and other French wine regions as temperatures rise. In neighboring , extreme heat has also prompted sparkling-wine producers to .
David Chatillon, president of the Union of Champagne Houses, acknowledged weather conditions this year will lead to a clear decrease in yields.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not just because of the drought,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e lost 43% of the potential production to the spring frosts, and the drought has clearly made the problem of lower yields even worse.鈥�
Chatillon said has been a focus of the industry for the past 25 years, prompting investment in research and innovation to adapt to evolving conditions, including developing grape varieties that are more disease-resistant and ripen later.
Heat speeds grape ripening
Gobillard has seen the shift unfold across generations of his family.
鈥淢y grandfather鈥檚 generation harvested 100 days after flowering, my father鈥檚 90 days, and today we鈥檙e down to 80,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to change our habits.鈥�
This summer鈥檚 record temperatures compressed the ripening period even further. In June, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Champagne.
鈥淭he vine needs water to live,鈥� Gobillard said. 鈥淭he water was drawn out of the grapes to keep the vine alive, and as a result we had a much higher concentration of sugar. That鈥檚 why it happened so much faster.鈥�
As his daughter operated the wine press, Gobillard watched the year’s first juice flow with a mix of excitement and anxiety.
He quickly took a sample to measure its sugar level 鈥� a key indicator of potential alcohol content and of whether the grapes have been picked at the right moment. 鈥淐hampagne shouldn鈥檛 be too alcoholic. … We鈥檙e looking for delicacy,” he said.
An early harvest tests Champagne鈥檚 traditions
The early harvest also poses logistical challenges in a region where grapes are traditionally picked by hand, with some workers still on summer vacation and others facing transportation delays.
Gobillard hopes to complete the harvest at the estate in about nine days, a job requiring around 120 workers recruited mostly from across France and Poland.
鈥淚t really changes how we look at Champagne鈥檚 traditional methods,鈥� said Geoffrey Bonnet-Gobillard, 30, commercial director of the family Champagne house. 鈥淗and harvesting comes with a lot of constraints 鈥� housing people, feeding them, recruiting them. It鈥檚 very difficult, especially with early harvests in August.鈥�
Those pressures could eventually force producers to reconsider some long-established practices as agricultural machinery becomes more sophisticated, he said.
The house sells most of its Champagne in European markets, including Britain, Belgium, Italy and Spain, as well as in West Africa, with smaller volumes going to the United States and Asia, Bonnet-Gobillard said.
High stakes for a global industry
According to Comit茅 Champagne鈥檚 2026 industry report, 266.1 million bottles of Champagne were shipped in France and abroad last year, generating 5.7 billion euros ($6.6 billion) in sales. Exports accounted for 56.5% of shipments. Champagne represented about 8% of global sparkling wine consumption by volume but 31% by value.
The sector supports around 30,000 direct jobs and requires roughly 100,000 seasonal workers for the harvest, according to Comit茅 Champagne.
Despite this year鈥檚 difficult conditions, Gobillard said the grapes he inspected were encouraging.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy with what I鈥檓 seeing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were worried that the drought would leave us with very light bunches, but in these plots we鈥檙e really pleased. The quantity should be sufficient and the quality will be there.鈥�
But there is little time to spare. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time to cut them. We鈥檙e going to have to move quickly,鈥� he said.
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