Harvest 2022

With the grape harvest now completed in most French wine regions, initial reports from wine industry professionals suggest that excellent vintages are on the horizon. This optimism comes despite a year marked by numerous extreme weather events, including late frosts, hailstorms, heatwaves, drought, and water stress*.

« A Solar Year Full of Promise » The Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne, in its communication on September 20, described the year as “a solar year full of promise,” citing “substantial volume, a swift yet calm growing season, and perfect vine health”. »

Similarly, the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne, in its September 21 statement, noting:« joyeuses vendanges 2022 »  while specifying: « “The harvest is beautiful, with perfect sanitary conditions. Sorting tables are mainly used to remove dry berries. Juice yields are surprisingly good. In general, the musts are balanced with controlled sugar levels and a lovely level of acidity.”  »

This assessment is echoed across the country, where professionals agree that the 2022 vintage is shaping up to be exceptional.

One lingering uncertainty stems from the catastrophic summer wildfires in Gironde, raising concerns about smoke taint in Bordeaux wines. According to Pierre-Louis Teissedre**, the worst-case scenario may have been avoided, as the major fires occurred before the grapes had ripened, making them less susceptible to combustion-related molecules. However, precise and reliable assessments of the potential impacts on the 2022 vintage will only be available after the vinification process is complete***.

*Drought conditions did, however, have the advantage of limiting the spread of certain diseases, such as downy mildew and powdery mildew.

**Pierre-Louis Teissedre, First Vice President of the Union of French Oenologists, in an interview with Claire Mayer for Le Monde. Le Monde.

***20 Minutes avec AFP, august 27 2022.

Visuals © Christophe Deschanel