Save Up Your Bubbly: The Champagne Harvest Was Down 40%
Some depressing news out of France as the holiday season approaches: this year's champagne harvest was down 40 percent this year as terrible weather including hailstorms, and fungus attacked vineyards, Bloomberg Businessweek's Carol Matlack reports. It's the lowest harvest in at least 40 years, the Agriculture Ministry said.
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Those of us who are fond of bubbly should not be too concerned about how this might affect impending celebrations. Matlack explains that the stuff has to age at least 15 months in cellars before being sold, and producer's keep over three years worth in vats before bottling it up. So we're set for this New Year's Eve and a few to come. But perhaps, if you're especially nervous about your future consumption, you should keep some stored up. According to BYOBguide.com, a bottle of unopened Moët stored in the fridge for four years is "most likely" still good.
Though bad weather may have brought down this year's harvest, champagne growers are some of the few who say they've enjoyed climate change because it has lead to earlier harvests.
