On a Thursday, August 6, under the sun of Montgueux in Aube, the first blows of pruning shears have already resonated in the rows of vines. While most Champagne winegrowers are just preparing for the season, one estate has launched the 2026 harvest in Champagne several days ahead of anything that has been done so far.
This record start, on a plot of Chardonnay, exceeds the former high point of precocity set for August 17, 2020, already in Montgueux. Professionals speak of a “historic” moment, but behind this unprecedented date lies above all a precise race to the maturity of the grapes.
Harvest 2026 in Champagne: Montgueux opens the ball from August 6
At the origin of this early departure, the winegrower Vincent Finot, based in Montgueux, who requested an exemption from the INAO to begin before the official publication of the harvest ban. He describes a lightning maturity of his Chardonnays: “”, explains Vincent Finot, quoted by France 3.
Officially, the Champagne Committee has already decided to bring forward the publication of the harvest ban, which sets the harvest dates by commune, from August 15 to 12 for the current campaign. Winegrowers can nevertheless request earlier starts if the maturity justifies it, as in Montgueux where the harvest has never started so early.
How the Champagne Committee sets the harvest ban
To finalize this delicate schedule, the inter-professional organization relies on close technical monitoring throughout the Champagne vineyards. The dates are established from samples “”, indicated the Champagne Committee, cited by La Revue du vin de France.
In a recent harvest described as very early, this same source already mentioned “”. She then spoke of a “”, with clusters presenting “”, enough to suggest a harvest “” and “” for future wines. This type of profile is reminiscent of what Montgueux winegrowers are looking for today by triggering the secateurs so early.
Spring frost, labor and the future of early champagnes
This advance on the calendar does not erase the vagaries of the year. Very great agronomic heterogeneity is reported in the vineyard, linked to the spring frost which severely affected the Côte des Bar, to the south of the Champagne appellation. Yields vary greatly from one plot to another, even when technological maturity is there.
At harvest time, around 120,000 seasonal workers are employed in Champagne according to the inter-professional association. When the first blows of pruning shears are given on August 6 in certain sectors, this entire organization sometimes has to readjust urgently, from accommodation to cutting teams, while most of the 319 wine-growing communes of the appellation will not start harvesting until later.
Why are the 2026 harvests in Champagne starting so early?
The maturity of the grapes progressed very quickly in Montgueux, to the point that Vincent Finot obtained a waiver from the INAO to start his Chardonnay harvest on August 6.
What is the harvest ban in Champagne?
The harvest ban is the official decision of the Champagne Committee which sets, commune by commune, the dates on which winegrowers are authorized to begin the harvest.
How does the Champagne Committee monitor the maturity of the grapes?
Samples are taken twice a week in around 600 plots; the must is analyzed to monitor the evolution of sugar and acidity.
Are these early harvests necessarily bad for the quality of the champagne?
No, early harvests can have a good sugar load and still high acidity, which often offers good potential for producing balanced wines.
