Champagne makers agree harvest cut after coronavirus slump

France's champagne makers on Tuesday reached a last-minute agreement to reduce the amount of grapes they will harvest this year, as they try to recover from a collapse in sales caused by the coronavirus crisis.

France's champagne makers on Tuesday reached a last-minute agreement to reduce the amount of grapes they will harvest this year, as they try to recover from a collapse in sales caused by the coronavirus crisis. With harvesting already off to an early start after warm, dry weather this year, producers struck a deal to cut the volume of grapes to be gathered to 8,000 kg per hectare, down nearly 22% from 10,200 kg in 2019, a spokesman for industry body CIVC said.

Producers have been locked in discussions for weeks over how much to cut harvest output. Leading champagne houses have pushed for a steep fall to shore up prices while some growers have sought a smaller reduction to take advantage of a promising 2020 crop.