The harvest will begin on August 23 in the Nantes vineyard, producer of Muscadet.
The record of 2003, the year of the great heat wave, was however not beaten.
The quality promises to be exceptional, but the quantity will be less.
Almost unheard of.
Usually taking place at the beginning of September, the harvest will officially begin from this Tuesday (August 23) in the Nantes vineyard, producer of Muscadet, gros plant and other Malvasia, announced the Loire-Atlantique prefecture on Monday.
An exceptional earliness which is almost a record.
Only the 2003 vintage, the year of the great heat wave, was even stronger with harvests having started on August 19th.
“The heat wave had an undeniable accelerating effect on the development of the vine.
The rainfall from mid-August also did a lot of good.
Overall, it's a good scenario for the winegrowers”, considers François Robin, delegate of the Nantes wine federation, who nevertheless underlines that “the young vines have suffered from the drought because of their shallower roots”.
An anthology quality?
According to the profession, the quality also promises to be “anthological”.
“We're going for high-quality vintages,” enthuses François Robin.
The quantity, on the other hand, will be somewhat lacking since the frost in early April had done some damage.
The harvest should therefore be 25% below the volumes usually expected.
Already, two years ago, the Muscadet harvest had been abnormally early, starting on August 26, 2020. In 2021, it had started on August 30.
“We can see that the precocity of the harvest is becoming chronic.
We can obviously make the link with climate change, ”notes the Nantes wine federation.
The harvest, which is mainly done by machine, should last about three weeks.
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