2026 Champagne granted an exception above 13% alcohol

An exceptional measure for the 2026 harvest

A decree published on Wednesday in the Journal officiel allows Champagne from grapes harvested in summer 2026 to exceed 13% alcohol in exceptional cases. It follows a derogation obtained by producers in early September because of the summer heatwave.¹

The rule applies to wines undergoing tirage in 2027 that combine non-enriched wines from the 2026 harvest with enriched wines from earlier harvests. After secondary fermentation and the formation of bubbles, these wines may exceed the maximum total alcohol level of 13%.¹

The decree attributes the exceptional measure to summer 2026, when heatwave episodes and severe drought resulted in particularly high potential alcohol levels at harvest.¹

Temporary INAO derogation

In early September, Comité Champagne, which represents producers, obtained a temporary derogation from its production specifications from the Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité (INAO) for the 1st time. This is expected to let growers whose 2026 grapes already had high alcohol levels produce wines reaching 15%, including after blending with wines from earlier years that may have undergone chaptalisation, the addition of sugar during Champagne’s double-fermentation process.¹

Maxime Toubart, president of the Syndicat général des vignerons and co-president of Comité Champagne, estimated in early September that the provision would affect only a few growers.¹

Champagne’s earliest recorded harvest

According to Comité Champagne, the 2026 harvest was the earliest ever recorded in Champagne. The 1st grapes were cut on August 6, and harvesting became widespread on August 17, 2 weeks earlier than in 2025, itself already an early year.¹

Comité Champagne noted that this exceptional harvest, marked by early frosts followed by heatwaves and drought, could become the norm as climate change pushes growers to adapt.¹