Grape pickers labour in France’s wine region’s searing weather

In the sweltering heat of France’s wine region, grape pickers have been working to complete the harvest.

The harvest has been advanced due to a series of heat waves this summer.

A record two weeks earlier than usual, in the middle of August, Bordeaux’s white wine growers began receiving the grapes.

The record-breaking heat in most of Europe, according to Bordeaux’s producers, has resulted in less grape yields this year.

However, the heat also makes the grapes sweeter and will result in greater alcohol yields.

Burgundy’s harvest was also pushed ahead, but the days leading up to it saw a lot of rain, which helped to boost production and guarantee both quality and quantity.

Producers in the Champagne area have been nervously monitoring the weather. They’ve been trying to make up for the really subpar harvest from last year.

They were concerned when the spring brought weeks of torrential rain, just like much of France. But in spite of the intense heat this summer, it assisted in shielding the vines.

Producers have been optimistic that they would easily reach and even exceed their targets, anticipating this year’s crop to be the largest in 15 years, despite last-minute rain again shortly before harvest.

Due to the early harvests, growers had to search far for grape pickers.

It has historically been a seasonal employment, meaning that the majority of those who hold it have other jobs and are unable to quit their current ones two weeks early.

Late summer is not typically a busy time for the state employment agency Pole Emploi, but this year it has been aggressively letting job searchers know about the chances in vineyards around the nation.

As the rush to bring the grapes in is already underway, several wine producer associations have even urged local retirees and students to come help in the vines.