Like a precious family recipe passed down from generation to generation, the grape harvest involves its share of actions and deadlines to be respected, like confidential ingredients.
The operations are varied and meticulous. The bunches are harvested, whole, by hand.
But why are the Champagne grape harvests carried out manually?
Maison Canard-Duchêne brings you the journey and traditions of grape picking, a product of the Champagne terroir, with a focus on 2022.
The journey of the grape
The result of a whole year of work, the harvest represents a key stage in the production of champagne. The first factor for a good harvest is above all the annual climate, particularly during flowering and the month preceding the harvest.
To be favorable, temperatures must be fairly mild, without significant frost and with regular rainfall.
The ideal for a superb quality of wine is a balance between sun and rain in order to have an optimal sugar supply. As soon as the berries begin to color in summer, the grape ripening monitoring network is activated. The objective is to determine the perfect ripening date for each grape variety in each of the region's vintages. Thus, the bunches are collected and tested several times in order to obtain the optimal date for the harvest.
Hand picking
In harmony with nature, the winemaker and his harvesters only harvest the grapes using meticulous and careful handling. The quality and quantity picked depend on this.
The grapes are then taken to the presses.
The white wines of Champagne come from two thirds red grape varieties (Pinot Noir and Meunier) and one third white (Chardonnay). Fractional presses are then carried out gently to prevent the grapes from releasing their pulp before being pressed. Otherwise, the juice could become colored (rosé champagne). The first juice extracted is often of better quality. It constitutes the "cuvée". The following presses, called "tailles" are more intense.
During this period, thousands of little hands are busy: pickers, stevedores, transporters, pressers, etc.
The 2022 harvest
The date of the harvest is defined each year by the Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wines (CIVC). It lasts approximately 3 to 4 continuous weeks, nature does not wait!
For this year 2022, they officially started on August 18 in Aube and are in full swing until mid-September. This is only the 8th time in 20 years that the grape harvest begins in August!
The yield of the Champagne grape harvest is regulated.
- Thus, the yield quotas have been set, they will be 12,000 kilos per hectare for 2022, a figure untested since 2007! Compared to 2021, they were announced at 10,000 kilos, but the harvests had been complicated, with finally only 7,300 kilos. Despite the crop losses linked to frost and storms, the harvests promise to be voluminous!
- There is also the individual reserve share, each Champagne operator must build up a reserve. It is set at 8,000 kilos this year.
- New system for this year: the deferred reserve ! It can be released the following year in the event of a grape deficit from a campaign. This helps to stabilize supply and demand.
This year, the harvest looks set to be very good, both quantitatively and qualitatively! The dry weather has prevented diseases, and the health situation of the vineyard is very healthy. And even if the lack of water due to the heatwave this summer has sometimes slowed down the ripening of the grapes a little, the chalky soils of the Champagne region allow moisture to be retained well.
