The “Champagne reserve”, made up of wines from previous years, will compensate for this harvest, a strategy that proved effective in 2021, after a very difficult year.
The principle of the new release consists of generating a "deferred release reserve credit" for a grower when the quantities harvested, and the reserve, prove insufficient to reach the available yield set for the year.
This credit, managed by the Comité Champagne, can be used over the next three years as the reserve gets replenished, providing the means to reach the available yield each year, in order to ensure market balance.
2022 is showing promise for shipments, as Champagne growers and houses have decided to set an available yield of 12,000 kg/ha for the 2022 harvest, the highest level in 15 years (2007), with shipments in the first half of 2022 up 13.8% compared to the same period in 2021.
Exports are up 16.8%, while France is up 9.3% as the harvest is expected to start early, in the last ten days of August.
