2023-07-19 20:40:56
A month and a half before the harvest, the Champagne interprofession is calm. First, because of the excellent and uniform sanitary state of the vineyards in the 319 communes of the Champagne appellation. “While other wine regions have suffered, Champagne has experienced an ideal climate and is preparing for a good harvest, the average opening date of which should be September 7,” rejoiced Maxime Toubart, president of the Syndicate. general of winegrowers and co-president of the Champagne Committee, on Wednesday July 19, in Épernay. A few hours earlier, he had met in the executive office, alongside his counterpart and president of the Union of Champagne Houses (UMC), David Châtillon, to decide on the way forward for the next harvest. He declined the sales prospects for the current year and the next three, “which gives 314 million bottles for 2023 and 315 for the next three. »
It is by taking into account these two factors, an estimated agronomic yield of between 15,000 and 17,000 kg/ha and sales estimates in relation to a total stock of 1.4 billion bottles, that the yield was established. marketable for the 2023 harvest, i.e. 11,400 kg/ha. In Champagne, the quantity of grapes authorized to be harvested is determined annually thanks to these two variables. This year, it will be 600 kg less than last year, a decision described as “courageous, cautious, but optimistic”, by Maxime Toubart. “It corresponds more or less to what we planned to sell”.
“In the first half of 2023, champagne sales are down around 5% compared to 2022, which was a record. With 336 billion bottles over a rolling year, it was an unsustainable pace,” explains David Châtillon. Revisiting the return downwards was therefore logical. “The post-covid period was excessively euphoric, we are back to a more normal situation,” tempered Maxime Toubart. So don’t worry about Champagne.
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