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This year's harvest in Champagne is 60 per cent smaller than in 2020, Drinks Business reports on the basis of figures from the umbrella organisation Comité Champagne. The extreme weather conditions are responsible for the poorest harvest in 40 years. First, there was a twelve-day frost period in April, which caused extensive damage to green shoots and dormant eyes. This was followed by persistent rainfall in spring and early summer, which favoured the spread of downy mildew. Another reason for the crop losses was localised hailstorms, which affected a total of 500 hectares and destroyed the entire crop on 250 hectares. The estimated yield in 2021 is 7,000 kg/ha on average, about 5,000 kg lower than the average of the 2000s (12,500kg/ha). Despite the yield losses, grape quality has not suffered from the climatic trend, growers told Drinks Business.
The quantity of champagne produced this year will not be extremely affected by the low harvest, they said, as the appellation usually has extensive wine stocks to fall back on. This practice of the umbrella organisation Comité Champagne, he said, ensures a consistent supply of champagne regardless of the amount harvested in a given year. As wein.plus already reported, champagne could nevertheless become scarce at the end of the year, as the producers' stocks are not sufficient due to the increasing supply after the Corona lockdowns and the end of the punitive tariffs.
(ru / Source: Drinks Business; Photo: pixabay)