Champagne growers race to preserve quality in record-early harvest

Champagne growers race to preserve quality in record-early harvest 1 of 6 | Champagne producers are racing to pick their grapes as the region’s earliest harvest on record gets underway, after extreme heat and drought accelerated ripening, leaving growers a narrow window to preserve the quality of the region’s world-famous sparkling wine. (AP video shot by: Nicolas Garriga) 2 of 6 | A grape-picker puts Chardonnay grapes into a crate on a plot of the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 3 of 6 | View of vineyard plots with different grape varieties in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 4 of 6 | A grape-picker harvests Chardonnay grapes on a plot of the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 5 of 6 | Champagne in a glass is displayed at Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 6 of 6 | A bottle of Champagne in display at the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 1 of 6 Champagne producers are racing to pick their grapes as the region’s earliest harvest on record gets underway, after extreme heat and drought accelerated ripening, leaving growers a narrow window to preserve the quality of the region’s world-famous sparkling wine. (AP video shot by: Nicolas Garriga) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 6 | A grape-picker puts Chardonnay grapes into a crate on a plot of the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 2 of 6 A grape-picker puts Chardonnay grapes into a crate on a plot of the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 6 | View of vineyard plots with different grape varieties in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 3 of 6 View of vineyard plots with different grape varieties in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 6 | A grape-picker harvests Chardonnay grapes on a plot of the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 4 of 6 A grape-picker harvests Chardonnay grapes on a plot of the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 6 | Champagne in a glass is displayed at Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 5 of 6 Champagne in a glass is displayed at Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 6 of 6 | A bottle of Champagne in display at the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 6 of 6 A bottle of Champagne in display at the Gobillard vineyard in Hautvillers, Champagne-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="189339" data-entity-type="location">Champagne region, France, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Hautvillers, France (AP) — Champagne producers are racing to pick their grapes as the region’s earliest harvest on record gets underway, after extreme heat and drought accelerated ripening, leaving growers a narrow window to preserve the quality of the region’s 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 UNESCO 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.“It’s historic in Champagne,” he said. “I’ve been working at the estate for 30 years, and when I started, my father used to tell me: ‘On Aug. 15, go on vacation.’ Today, it’s Aug. 18 and we’re in full harvest. We’ve never seen anything like it.”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 harvestChampagne’s official harvest opened between Aug. 12 and Aug. 17 this year, depending on the area and grape variety — 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.