The 2021 Champagne harvest strated on 6 September. Wheather conditions are good for the ripening of the grapes, but conditions across the vineyard are unusually varied. Because Champagne always picks its grapes by hand, this means that the organisation of picking this year will have to be adjusted. Learn more
The Champagne region is outraged by the new Russian legislation on wine labelling. While Champagne wines retain the exclusive right to use the name "Champagne" in Latin characters on the main label, the law forces them to renounce the term "Shampanskoe" - a translation of the name Champagne in Russian - and present themselves as "sparkling wines" in Cyrillic characters on the back label. Only Russian sparkling wines will now be allowed to use the name "Shampanskoe". Learn more
Shipments of Champagne in 2020 totalled 245 million bottles, down 18% compared to 2019. The health crisis is a blow, but Champagne has taken steps to meet the challenge. Learn more