Extreme heat spurs earliest-ever Champagne harvest, putting its famous taste to the test

Harvesters pick grapes in vineyards during the 2025 Champagne harvest in Hauvillers, north-eastern France on August 28, 2025. Francois Nascimbeni | Afp | Getty ImagesSweltering summer temperatures look set to spur the earliest Champagne harvest on record and potentially one of the most challenging. The French region's winemakers face lower crop yields, weaker consumer demand and a threat to the iconic drink's famed fresh taste.The Champagne season officially starts on Aug. 15 this year, with the majority of picking expected between Aug. 20 and 25, around two weeks earlier than usual in recent years. Before the early 2000s, harvesting the grapes of the sparkling wine — which brought in $6.6 billion in sales revenues last year — almost always took place in September or October. But hotter springs and summers are accelerating the grape-ripening process, creating more sugary fruit and narrowing the optimum picking window for Champagne. Mutigny, north-eastern France, with vineyards of Champagne. Andia | Universal Images Group | Getty ImagesWinemakers are torn between harvesting early to reduce the amount of sugar in the fruit, but risking the ability to achieve the correct balance of ac...