France raises champagne alcohol cap to 15% after heatwave — SkimNews
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- Comité Champagne temporarily raised the regulatory alcohol cap for champagne from 13% to 15% for the 2026 vintage only, after extreme heat and drought produced grapes with exceptionally higher sugar levels that yeast converts into alcohol during fermentation.
- The change affects only a very small number of wines from this harvest — some reaching around 13.1% or 13.2%, barely above the previous limit — a Comite Champagne spokeswoman told the BBC.
- Champagne's 2026 harvest was the earliest ever recorded, with first grapes cut in early August and the full harvest underway by mid-August, the Comite Champagne said.
- Maxime Toubart, co-chair of the Comite Champagne, told AFP this unusual harvest will probably become the norm in 10 to 15 years as hotter weather continues.
- Producer Stéphane Vignon of Verzenay told the Times that "the Mediterranean climate is moving north" and called 2026 "year one of a new cycle" for the region.
- Wine columnist Jane Anson warned that higher-strength champagne is unlikely to sell well, as consumers increasingly prefer lower-alcohol options.
- The 2026 vintage will not reach shelves until 2028, as champagne must age for at least 15 months after harvest.
Why it matters: The 15% cap is a one-off regulatory workaround — only wines hovering just above 13% will qualify — so consumers are unlikely to notice stronger champagne this year. But the industry is openly preparing for heatwave-affected harvests to become routine within a decade, forcing producers to rethink grape varieties and winemaking as the Mediterranean climate creeps north.
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