Champagne Harvest Starts in August for Fifth Time in Past 15 Years

Glass of Champagne. Photo: Guy Collins

The Champagne harvest has started to get under way in the past few days, with some villages authorized to start picking as early as Aug. 20 while others will need to wait until Sept. 1, according to a statement from the Comite Champagne trade association. This marks the fifth time in the past 15 years that the harvest has started in August, and follows ``an unusually wet winter and warm spring,'' according to the association.