This year the harvest is very early in many places in France. At the beginning of August, some producers had already started in Languedoc-Roussillon. In Champagne, the first village to harvest was on August 20 in the Côte des Bar. In Burgundy, the first bunches were cut around August 25. It has been hot and dry across most of France, but it varies how badly the vineyards have been affected. At Champagne Christophe Mignon, they would have liked to see a little more rain, but, says Alexandra, because the vines’ roots go deep in the soil, they have been able to avoid some water stress. The vine can withstand periods of drought and heat, but this summer, with temperatures above 38 degrees in many places, has been difficult. The grapes “burn” and shrivel. In Alsace, it has not rained for two months, and the harvest will be small.
In the Rhône Valley, the grapes have ripened 20 days earlier than last year. But the quality looks fine. In Bordeaux, some rain happily arrived in mid-August, but the grapes are still small. Many have started picking white grapes and the red grapes used for rosé. “We start with the red wine grapes at the beginning of September,” says Nea Berglund at Château Carsin. More reports on the 2022 harvest will be in the September Brief.
