Extreme summer heat is threatening to severely impact grape harvests in major French wine regions, found research from Reuters. 

According to the news agency, Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy are all expected to record smaller harvests this year following a record-breaking heatwave in late June and continued hot, dry weather. 

In Champagne, producers have said they expect the earliest harvest on record, with picking likely to begin around 15 August, almost a month earlier than it would have a few decades ago. 

Maxime Toubart, chairman of the Champagne winegrowers’ union, also said that grape yields are expected to be around 10% lower than last year. 

“We were lucky to have a very wet winter, so the soil was not too dry to begin with. But now we can see the grapes are not getting any bigger,” Toubart said. 

Elsewhere, conditions in Bordeaux and Burgundy have been even more severe, with producers warning of a significant decline in output. 

Despite the reduced yields, producers from both regions said wine quality may not suffer. However, they warned that higher sugar levels could affect both flavour and alcohol content. 

Like Champagne, Bordeaux expects an early harvest, likely in the first week of August. Burgundy, meanwhile, is expected to begin picking around 20 August. 

Speaking to Drinks Retailing, Anne Cogny, export director at Vignerons de Tutiac in Bordeaux, said the estate would be harvesting early.  

She added that it is implementing a range of measures to offset the impacts of climate change, including adapting grape varieties, increasing leaf removal, reducing cover cropping and, in the future, lowering the number of vines per hectare. 

Cogny said: “Tutiac is adapting its vineyards to climate change to maintain a product profile that continues to appeal to consumers.” 

Producers in other French wine regions also expressed serious concern about the heat. Raphaël Suire, climate, water and carbon project manager at InterLoire, told Drinks Retailing that the first grapes in the Loire are expected to be picked on 10 August, almost three weeks earlier than historical averages. 

Suire added that, in Anjou, Chenin Blanc budburst began as early as the end of February 2026, around two weeks ahead of average. 

On the changing climate, Suire said: “Climate change is transforming the organisation of work within wine estates. Harvest dates are becoming earlier, but the harvest period itself is also becoming more compressed.  

“The gap between harvesting early-ripening varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Melon Blanc, and later-ripening varieties such as Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, is becoming increasingly narrow, creating significant logistical challenges.” 

On quality, he added: “These climatic changes affect not only the quantity of the harvest, but also its quality. Achieving the right balance between sugar levels (and therefore potential alcohol) and acidity is becoming increasingly difficult.” 

François Dal, winegrowing adviser at Sicavac, the technical arm of Centre-Loire wines, said temperatures this year have been exceptionally high for the region and that problems are already emerging. 

“Currently, around 10% of the vineyards are showing significant leaf burn,” he said, particularly among Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.