Champagne. First estimates for 2018: for Comité the harvest is "exceptional"

It's defined as an "out of the ordinary" and "exceptional" harvest in Champagne, a place that last year totaled 307.3M bottles, for 4.9B Euro. Here are a few notes on the 2018 harvest.

Out of the norm for date, quantity and quality. The first bunches were removed on August 20th in the earliest areas, a date that represented the fifth time for an Augustinian harvest in Reims and surroundings. In these initial estimates, the Comité Champagne informs that the marketable yield of 10,800 kilos per hectare will be achieved "in all areas".

In addition, the abundant harvest will allow vignerons and maisons to reconstitute the inter-professional reserve (which consists in putting aside the wines in favorable vintages). From a climatic point of view, after a particularly rainy winter, from April the sunshine and temperatures have been much higher than the 10-year average.

An exceptional climate that has allowed the vineyards to rapidly evolve. The climatic conditions during the flowering and ripening phases were ideal. At the time of harvest, the grapes were numerous, with a "perfect health status and an aromatic richness and sugar well above average".