A sunny vintage is presaged among champagne producers, indeed 2022 was an exceptional year in terms of the harvest.

Quality and quantity are at the rendezvous

The harvest and the quality of the wines promise to be « exceptional » and demand is still just as strong, welcomed Thursday the General Union of Winegrowers (SGV) of Champagne after two trying years. Quality and quantity are at the rendezvous in Champagne. What to predict of « a solar vintage« , 2022 is a year like Champagne has rarely known. The 1976, 1990, 2003 or more recently 2015, 2018, 2019 or 2020 vintages were very sunny vintages, but 2022 is truly a solar record year.

Sunshine and rains

Throughout the year, each month had a surplus of sunshine, unheard of in Champagne. If most of the other French vineyards suffered from the drought, this was not really the case in Champagne because we were lucky to have small providential rains at strategic times (during flower, veraison and on the eve of ripening). These contributions, although low, fed the vines fairly well, and the chalky soils of Champagne were able to restore water when the vines needed it to allow the plant to ripen properly.

The highest harvest for fifteen years

The executive office of the Champagne Committee, which brings together winegrowers and large houses, had set the yield for the 2022 harvest at the start of the season at 12,000 kilos per hectare, its highest level for fifteen years. « It’s a choice that takes into account the needs of our market, which is doing very well » and the abundance of the harvest, underlines the general manager of SGV. Good news after the Covid crisis, which put « an extremely brutal halt » to champagne sales, the sector fearing to « take 20 years to recover », notes Maxime Toubart, president of the union.