Month in wine

Yields low, potential high in Champagne

Champagne producers have said 2020 may complete a rare ‘trilogy’ of top-quality vintages, but there are set to be fewer bottles made after a drop in global sales this year led to tight limits being placed on harvest size.

Champagne houses and growers settled on a maximum yield of 8,000kg of grapes per hectare for 2020, one of the lowest in recent times and equivalent to about 230m bottles in all, said regional wine council the Comité Champagne.

The decision came just as pickers were preparing to enter the vineyards for this year’s