BETHON (FRANCE) – Winemakers in France’s Champagne country are all set to gather a bumper grape harvest this week. But what takes the fizz out of harvesters is the fact that the slump in demand for the bubbly beverage because of the pandemic means some of the grapes have to be left to rot.
“We make the wine of happiness, and when people are sad, like during the lockdown, sales of champagne tend to collapse,” said Vincent Leglantier, a 34-year-old wine cultivator hailing from Bethon.
At the Brun de Neuville vineyard collective, to which Leglantier belongs, harvesters wearing baseball caps made their way through rows of vines, plucking grapes. Most of them are migrant workers hailing from eastern Europe.
As far as champagne sales are concerned, this year it is bleak as weddings and parties, which see much demand for the fizzy drink, are hardly happening because of the pandemic.
Earlier this month, French champagne producers decided to cap the amount of grapes sent for wine-making.
This was taken because a glut of the drink in cellars and on wholesalers’ shelves would drive down prices eclipsing its aura of luxury and exclusivity.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field