Regions
champagne
- Notable villages
- Aÿ · Damery
- Principal grape varieties
- Chardonnay (25) · Pinot Noir (21) · Meunier (8)
Notable villages
Houses based here
Figures
-
9 September 2026
Earliest Harvest Date on Record
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primary
Exports as primary driver of shipment growth
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3.2%
Champagne shipments growth (nine months)
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Primary
Export demand as principal driver of shipments
Recent
- Note
Champagne has maintained systematic harvest records since 1893, providing over 130 years of continuous data on picking dates.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
The 2026 harvest began on 9 September, marking the earliest picking date recorded since data collection commenced in 1893.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
Champagne's identity is closely tied to cool-climate viticulture and the balance of acidity and ripeness historically delivered by its climate.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
The MICHELIN Guide will publish its first MICHELIN grapes selection dedicated to Champagne on 4 February 2027.
Read article Wine Industry Advisor 13 October 2026
- Note
Champagne is recognised as one of the great wine-producing regions that shapes France's viticultural identity.
Read article Wine Industry Advisor 13 October 2026
- Note
The MICHELIN grapes selection has previously been applied to Burgundy and Bordeaux before its extension to Champagne.
Read article Wine Industry Advisor 13 October 2026
- Note
Flavescence dorée is among the most serious diseases threatening grapevine health in Champagne, spread by a leafhopper insect and subject to mandatory treatment programmes in affected areas.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 1 June 2026
- Release
The Best Old Vintage Awards second edition evaluated aged champagne from three celebrated vintages: 1995, 1996, and 1998.
Read article Terre de Vins 5 October 2026
- Release
Thirty-two champagne domaines participated in the Best Old Vintage Awards blind tasting competition held at l'Arbane restaurant in Reims .
Read article Terre de Vins 5 October 2026
- Note
The Champagne region's value extends beyond commerce to encompass centuries of winemaking culture and collective memory of viticultural traditions.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 3 October 2026
- Release
The Champagne industry is structurally dependent on seasonal labour, with each vintage requiring a substantial influx of workers within a narrow window of time.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 30 April 2026
- Note
Champagne occupies one of the most northerly fine wine regions in France, historically producing grapes with naturally high acidity and moderate sugar levels.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 16 September 2026
- Release
The 2026 Champagne vintage assessment, published 16 September 2026, indicates alcohol levels across the region are higher than typical for Champagne.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 16 September 2026
- Release
The 2026 vintage has been assessed as carrying the potential for very great wines, with elevated alcohol content reflecting greater fruit ripeness at harvest.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 16 September 2026
- Note
Grape ripening window has shortened from 100 days to 80 days due to climate change, a reduction of one fifth.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 20 August 2026
- Note
The region sits at the northern edge of viable viticulture in France, a position that historically gave its wines characteristic tension and freshness.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 20 August 2026
- Note
Champagne's identity is bound to cool, slow maturation that a longer growing window once reliably provided; the loss of twenty days represents a fundamental change to conditions that define the appellation's character.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 20 August 2026
- Note
The Champagne AOC granted a regulatory exception for the 2026 harvest allowing bottles to carry alcohol content exceeding 13 degrees, a departure from established production norms.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
The 13-degree alcohol threshold has historically served as a marker of the cool-climate character that distinguishes Champagne from warmer sparkling-wine regions.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
Champagne's AOC rules control yields, grape varieties, pressing regimes, and ageing requirements in addition to alcohol thresholds to define what may legally carry the Champagne name.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
Champagne's AOC regulations govern virtually every aspect of production, from permitted grape varieties and yields to minimum ageing periods and alcohol content, with a historical 13-degree alcohol ceiling.
Read article Google News — Comité Champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
The Champagne region experienced heat waves during the 2026 harvest that led producers to reduce sparkling wine production capacity in favor of still wine allocation.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 28 August 2026
- Note
Champagne has historically been regarded as one of the wine world's most climatically marginal regions, a characteristic that contributed to the tension and minerality in its wines.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 28 August 2026
- Release
The 1926 vintage would have been produced at a time when Champagne was still recovering from the devastation of the First World War.
Read article Google News — maisons de champagne (FR) 22 April 2026
- Note
Champagne recorded its earliest harvest on record on 27 August 2026, driven by exceptional heat and drought conditions.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 27 August 2026
- Note
Champagne has historically been considered a cool-climate region, with high natural acidity in base wines prized for sparkling production.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 27 August 2026
- Note
Harvest dates across Champagne have trended progressively earlier over recent decades, consistent with broader climatic shifts in French wine regions.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 27 August 2026
- Business
Champagne achieved a 14.7% increase in revenue in the United States, outperforming the broader American wine market which recorded a decline over the same period.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 17 September 2026
- Note
The United States is one of Champagne's most important international markets, with performance there closely watched as a barometer of global demand.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 17 September 2026
- Note
Champagne's premium positioning demonstrated resilience during a difficult market climate, with consumers becoming more selective and choosing champagne over other wine categories.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 17 September 2026
- Note
Champagne sits at the northern limit of viable viticulture in France, a position that has historically been both its challenge and its distinction.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 15 September 2026
- Release
The 2026 vintage is projected to produce wines exceeding 13 degrees of alcohol due to an intense heat wave during the growing season.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 15 September 2026
- Note
The region's relatively cool temperatures have been central to the development of its signature style, historically keeping natural alcohol levels modest.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 15 September 2026
- Note
Coteaux Champenois is a legally recognised appellation of origin (AOC) covering still wines made from grapes grown within the Champagne production zone in north-eastern France.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 16 September 2026
- Note
The 2026 harvest in Champagne, recorded on 16 September 2026, was characterised by grapes of notably high sugar content.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 16 September 2026
- Note
Coteaux Champenois still wines represent a small fraction of total Champagne output and are comparatively rare.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 16 September 2026
- Note
The Champagne appellation is located in north-eastern France.
Read article Wine Industry Advisor 17 September 2026
- Note
France lifted the ceiling on permissible alcohol content in champagne, effective 12 September 2026, in response to record heatwaves raising grape sugar levels.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 12 September 2026
- Note
Champagne AOC rules historically specified grape varieties, production methods, appellation boundaries, and alcohol content limits reflecting the region's cool northerly climate.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 12 September 2026
- Note
Record heatwaves have accelerated grape ripening in Champagne, driving natural sugar levels and potential alcohol content beyond previously permitted regulatory limits.
Read article Google News — champagne wine (EN) 12 September 2026
- Business
The 2026 harvest began on 9 September with early assessments pointing to high potential quality and alcohol levels forecast to exceed 13%.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
Champagne's vineyards sit at the northern edge of viable viticulture for Vitis vinifera, making the region acutely sensitive to seasonal variation.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
Finished Champagne wines are typically measured in the low to mid-eleven-degree alcohol range after disgorgement.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Business
The Champagne AOC sets a ceiling of 13% alcohol by volume for wines sold under the appellation.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 10 September 2026
- Business
French authorities granted an exceptional authorisation on 10 September 2026 permitting the sale of champagne with alcohol content exceeding 13% ABV for the 2026 harvest.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 10 September 2026
- Note
The Champagne AOC operates under a detailed body of rules overseen by relevant authorities, with alcohol thresholds calibrated to reflect the region's typical climatic and viticultural conditions.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 10 September 2026
- Note
Champagne occupies one of the most northerly fine wine regions in France, with harvests subject to considerable variation from year to year.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Business
The 2026 harvest shows alcohol levels that may surpass 13%, representing a departure from the leaner profile that cooler seasons produce.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Business
In Champagne, alcohol potential exceeding 13% is uncommon due to the region's northerly climate, which has historically kept natural alcohol levels more modest.
Read article Google News — champagne (FR) 9 September 2026
- Note
Roederer 's identity has long been rooted in the Champagne appellation, operating at the upper end of the market before diversifying into Burgundy.
Read article Google News — maisons de champagne (FR) 23 June 2026
Related reading
- Tourism
Joseph Perrier Opens Its Cellars by Night for Champagne Day in Châlons
- Business
French State May Block Roederer Group's Burgundy Vineyard Acquisition
- News
The 2026 Champagne Harvest Is the Earliest Since Records Began in 1893
- Tasting
Nicolas Feuillatte earns three stars in the Hachette Guide, recognised for quality and value
- Market
Champagne Shipments Rise 3.2% Through September, Lifted by Export Demand
- News
Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon of Roederer Named Best Winemaker of the Year by Vinous