France’s 2011 Champagne harvest is set to be the earliest in 189 years according to Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne “CIVC”. The CIVC expects picking to begin on August 20th due to an unusually warm April this year.
The local weather reports have also recorded that April and May have been exceptionally sunny with temperatures five degrees above normal, and with one of the driest springs in over half a century.
Will this year’s harvest be exceptional? Time will tell!