In all the country's wine-growing areas, the lack of water and the high temperatures will bring the harvest forward by ten days to three weeks, with some Languedoc-Roussillon winegrowers having given the first blows with the secateurs at the end of July.

The heat wave accentuates the effects of the current exceptional drought.

François Capdellayre, president of the Dom Brial cooperative cellar in Baixas (Pyrénées-Orientales), had to take out his tools on August 3 in a hurry.

"We were all a little surprised, the maturity has evolved very quickly over the last few days", admits the winemaker, who started on August 3 with Muscat, followed by Chardonnay and Grenache Blanc.

"In more than 30 years, I have never started my harvest on August 9", is also surprised Jérôme Despey, winemaker in Hérault and general secretary of the agricultural union FNSEA.

Even if it is resistant, able to draw water with its deep roots, the vine suffers in all production basins, even in regions such as the Center or the Val-de-Loire.

When it lacks water, "water stress" causes it to lose its leaves and it stops feeding its clusters.

The ripening of the berries accelerates and urges the winegrowers to harvest them, with a generally lower final weight.

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When the temperature also exceeds 38 degrees, the grapes "burn, they are dry, they lose volume and quality", the heat raising the degree of alcohol to a level "too high for consumers", explains Pierre Champetier, president of the IGP of Ardèche.

This winegrower has already started his harvest on Monday, when "40 years ago, we harvested around September 20", he chokes, regretting that global warming makes this earliness "normal".

Quality vintage

The situation can change from one day to the next, without completely cutting into the hope of a good harvest.

In Burgundy, the earliness record of August 16, 2020 - which had itself beaten that dating back to 1556 - should not be exceeded in Beaune.

The first cellars, those of Saône-et-Loire, plan to start around August 25.

In the Rhône Valley, the heat wave "caused an advance in maturity of more than 20 days compared to last year", indicates the Inter-Rhône interprofession, which however ensures that the quality of the wine will be there. .

The same hope for the Champagne Committee (CIVC), which plans to start in the last ten days of August and shows its confidence in the quality of the vintage, the losses due to frosts and hail having only dented 9% of the potential. .

In Bordeaux, we are counting on "the week of August 25" for crémants, which will open the ball.

Will follow "the dry whites, the sweet whites and finally the red", underlines Christophe Château of the Interprofessional Council of Bordeaux wine (CIVB).

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In Alsace, where it has not rained "a drop for two months", "we will have a very, very small harvest", regrets Gilles Ehrhart, president of the association of winegrowers of Alsace (AVA), which plans to give the first pruning around August 26th.

Waiting for the storm

As of August 1, the statistical service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agreste, estimated 2022 production at between 42.6 and 45.6 million hectoliters - up 13 to 21% compared to the low 2021 harvest. , marked by a disastrous spring frost.

This first assessment, close to the five-year average, remains "to be refined" with the drought, warns Agreste.

Year after year, winegrowers suffer the jolts of climate change: June hail destroyed 15% of Charente's wine-growing areas, according to Agreste, and frost caused losses of up to "40%" on certain parcels in Alsace.

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For the 10% of irrigated vines in France, such as the Costières de Nîmes, there was luckily "no water shock", welcomes Aurélie Pujol, director of the AOC.

Small relief, in Alsace: the grapes should be "very healthy, without rot", underlines the association of winegrowers.

Quite the opposite of last year when rains and mildew ruined the season, says Pascal Doquet, president of the association of organic champagnes.

For the later varieties (grenache, cabernet), there is still the hope of having rain to make the grapes fat.

Storms are expected this weekend all over France, but it will surely be "not enough" to preserve the "nice vintage", fears the CIVB.

© 2022 AFP