I just returned from France and I can say that just about every producer is happy with the 2022 harvest. This is definitely the case in Champagne, which suffered an 80 percent loss of crop in 2021 due to frost and early rain.

Harvest started on August 20, as determined by Comite Champagne. That’s significantly earlier but similar to picking times in other French regions. According to CC, quality is up and “potential alcohol on average is better than 10% by volume.”

A good season was critical to Champagne this year. High quantity will allow them to replenish the reserves to meet demand in the future. Sales are up nearly 10 percent, in part because of the pandemic that encouraged people to celebrate at home.