Drought Forces Early Harvest In French Wine Country

BORDEAUX, France (AP) – Climate change is encroaching on the prestigious vineyards of Bordeaux. The harvest that once started in mid-September is now happening earlier than ever in one of France’s most celebrated wine regions and other parts of Europe. Vintners started picking grapes in mid-August as a result of severe drought and the wine industry’s adaptation to the unpredictable effects of climate change. Paradoxically, the season of heat waves and wildfires produced excellent grapes, despite lower yields. But achieving such a harvest required creative changes in growing techniques. And producers across Europe who have seen first-hand the effects of global warming are worried about what more is to come.