France’s vineyards brace for an early harvest

The heat wave that settled over France in late May is not, at this stage, a threat to the country’s vineyards, but it is reinforcing expectations of another early harvest after a spring marked by unusually advanced flowering, Bernard Farges, president of the Comité national des interprofessions des vins, said on Tuesday.

Speaking to AFP, Mr. Farges said the current spell of hot weather was “not insurmountable” for vines and could even have some benefits for plant health, as long as vineyard work is carried out early in the morning. The grapes are still at an early stage, he said, with clusters still small and the nights remaining cool after recent rain.

“The vine itself likes dry weather, heat and sun,” he said, while noting that the conditions are much harder for workers in the fields.

What concerns the industry more, he said, is that this year’s growing cycle is already ahead of schedule across France’s wine regions. Bud break and flowering have both come early in many vineyards, a pattern he described as another sign of climate change. Because grape harvests usually follow flowering by about 100 days, the advance in bloom points to an earlier picking season than in recent years.

In the earliest areas, flowering began around May 15. In parts of southeastern France it came around May 15 to May 20, and around Bordeaux it was closer to May 20, Mr. Farges said. That timing suggests that some harvests could begin in early August.

“Many harvests will take place in August,” he said, adding that this would create “all the difficulties of recruitment” that come with finding enough seasonal workers during a period when temperatures are often at their highest.

The prospect of an August harvest also raises logistical pressure for wineries and growers, who must organize labor, transport and cellar operations earlier than usual while keeping a close watch on both workers and grapes during hot weather.