00:00Here, the schedule has been completely turned upside down.
00:04In the famous Champagne wine region in northeastern France, the harvest began very early in August,
00:09a first for some winemakers.
00:11On the hillsides of Auveliers, grape pickers started their day as early as 6.30 a.m. as
00:17the grapes ripened at record speed due to the intense heat.
00:20This year, the first harvests officially began between August 12 and 17, depending on the
00:25area and grape variety, nearly a month earlier than just a few decades ago.
00:30It's been 30 years since I've been working on exploitation, and at the beginning, my
00:35father used to go on vacation on the 15th, and today, we're on the 18th of August, we're
00:40in full verdance, and it's never seen.
00:42A little further east, in Tour-sur-Mann, the situation is the same.
00:46The owner of these wine yards can't help but notice that for the past 20 years or so, and
00:50especially since the 2003 heat wave, the harvest has consistently started earlier, and that
00:56we will likely have to get to use to this in the future.
00:582003 remains in the annals.
01:00We still remember it.
01:02It's the first year we've been in the mid-août in Champagne.
01:06Since 2003, we've been in at least 10 times in the mid-août.
01:11And so, 2026 will probably remain in the annals, by its gel, by its precocity.
01:17And maybe in 20 years, we'll tell you that, finally, it will become almost normal.
01:22Indeed, this year's frost in late March initially reduced the harvest, before four heat waves
01:28and drought further accelerated the grapes ripening.
01:31It remains to be seen what this express harvest will yield in the bottles.
01:35In the cellar, the first juice has already been pressed, and the first bubbles are foaming.
01:40So, we'll have to wait a few years to find out if this very early vintage will also turn
01:45out to be a great one.
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