(20 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hautvillers, France – 18 August 2026
1. Various of workers harvesting grapes
2. SOUNDBITE (French) Alexandre Gobillard, production director at the Gobillard & Fils Champagne House: ++SOUNDBITE STARTS AND SPLIT SCREEN WITH PREVIOUS SHOT AND IS OVERLAID BY SHOT 3 ++
“It’s historic in Champagne to start the grape harvest around August 15. It’s exceptional. I’ve been working on the estate for 30 years, and when I first started, 30 years ago, my father used to tell me, ‘On August 15, go on holiday.’ And today, it’s August 18 and we’re right in the middle of the harvest. We’ve never seen anything like this.”
3. Various of workers harvesting grapes
4.Drone shots of workers harvesting grapes
5. Workers harvesting grapes
6. Close of grapes
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Alexandre Gobillard, production director at the Gobillard & Fils Champagne House: ++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON SHOT4 AND IS OVERLAID BY SHOT 5-6++
“Yes, it’s quite exceptional. I’ve rarely seen bunches of grapes sunburned like this. It’s because of the conditions we’ve had this year. In terms of quality, it won’t have a negative impact. If 10% of the bunches have been burned, that means a 10% loss for us, but in terms of quality, it won’t have any impact.”
8. Various of workers transferring grapes into processing container
9. Close of grapes
10. SOUNDBITE (French) Alexandre Gobillard, production director at the Gobillard & Fils Champagne House: ++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON SHOT8-9 AND OVERLAID BY SHOT11++
“An early year means harvesting 85 days after flowering. So we’re not necessarily surprised, but it’s really the summer weather that has shortened that period. In my grandfather’s time, it was 100 days after flowering. For my father, it was 90 days. And today, for me, we’re down to 80 days after flowering.”
11. Various of Gobillard pouring champagne into glasses
STORYLINE:
Champagne producers are racing to pick their grapes as the region’s earliest harvest on record gets underway, after extreme heat and drought accelerated ripening, leaving growers a narrow window to preserve the quality of the region’s world-famous sparkling wine.
On the hillsides of Hautvillers, teams of grape pickers start work at 6:30 a.m. among rows of vines that were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015.
For Alexandre Gobillard, production director at the Gobillard & Fils Champagne house, beginning the harvest in mid-August was once almost unthinkable.
“It’s historic in Champagne,” he said. “I’ve been working at the estate for 30 years, and when I started, my father used to tell me: ‘On August 15, go on vacation.’ Today, it’s August 18 and we’re in full harvest. We’ve never seen anything like it.”
Champagne’s official harvest opened between August 12 and August 17 this year, depending on the area and grape variety — roughly a month earlier than what was once common in the region.
A late-March frost hit vines after mild temperatures triggered early budburst, reducing the potential crop. It was followed by four heat waves, which never happened before, Gobillard said.
Sun-scorched grapes turned partially brown, something Gobillard said he had rarely seen.
He explained that losing roughly 10% of the grapes would mean a loss in volume rather than affect the quality of the wine.
Earlier harvests have become increasingly common in Champagne and other French wine regions as temperatures rise.
“My grandfather’s generation harvested 100 days after flowering, my father’s 90 days, and today we’re down to 80,” Gobillard said. “We’re going to have to change our habits.”
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