Bordeaux and Burgundy

Due to record sunlight hours and temperatures and the driest May on record, which have advanced the vegetative cycle, winemakers in Bordeaux and Burgundy are expecting an early harvest this year, perhaps the earliest ever. The flowering, which is...

Due to record sunlight hours and temperatures and the driest May on record, which have advanced the vegetative cycle, winemakers in Bordeaux and Burgundy are expecting an early harvest this year, perhaps the earliest ever.

The flowering, which is normally at the end of May, was well advanced by May 8 and some vines had their first flowers on May 1. Grapes will usually reach optimum ripeness approximately 100 days after flowering.

An early harvest could mean the two classic wine regions will see grapes being picked as early as late August rather than in September. But of course it’s much too early to predict the actual quality of either the grapes or the resulting wine, as there are still many things that can happen between now and the time the grapes are actually picked.

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