This weeks Champagne Q & A; how is the harvest determined in Champagne? [read the full champagne story]
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
The date varies depending on the ripeness of the grapes across the different regions making up the Champagne winegrowing area.
A network for monitoring grape ripeness was set up back in 1956 to define the harvest date and conditions as precisely as possible.
Based on the 600 control plots dotted across the Champagne vineyard area, it is set in motion just as the grapes begin to change colour (véraison) in order to measure, by taking samples of clusters twice a week, the rate of colour change, average cluster weight, estimated sugar content and total acidity for example. Every year, the Comité Champagne uses this data to set the date for when picking may start in each winegrowing municipality and for each grape variety based on the level of ripeness of their grapes. By picking the grapes at peak ripeness, the quality of the wines is enhanced.
