Champagne 2021 vintage looks tough
The weather in 2021 has simply not played ball with French producers. The Champagne region was hit by frost, hail and persistent mildew as well as spring rain which has resulted in yields expected to be down by 45%.
To compensate, producers who do have any volume will be allowed a very high yield of 13.1 tonnes per hectare, to help offset the poor quantity of fruit available.
The Comité Champagne stressed that this year’s “exceptional” weather conditions may impact the quantity of grapes, but not the quality.
Poor weather especially early in the season may restrict yields but not necessarily quality. High rain in spring will mean many conventional growers can manage mildews by increasing the spraying. Organic producers will be in a bit of a bind as the only chemical they can spray with is copper sulphate.
