In the hilly region of Champagne, in eastern France, winegrowers are bringing in grapes early this year, for a harvest they expect to be one of the best in a decade.
The harvest began at the end of August for most vineyards, instead of the usual September, after a rainy winter and a summer heatwave look set to yield a bumper crop and high-quality bubbly.
Champagne wines are expected to see a sharp rise in production – up 56% from last year, to 3.5 million hectolitres – after several years of unsatisfying crops due to bad weather.
