CLIMAT

The Champagne region lies at the northernmost limit of vine cultivation (latitudes 49°5 and 48° North for Reims and Bar-sur-Seine respectively). It is distinguished by a dual climate that is subject to both continental and oceanic influences

Continental influences bring often-devastating winter frosts but also provide high levels of sunshine in the summer.

Oceanic influences keep temperatures on the low side but also ensure steady rainfall, with no major fluctuations in temperature from year to year.

This combination of weather influences makes for constant, moderate precipitation – a near-ideal pattern of rainfall that provides the vines with just enough water to produce quality fruit. Mean annual rainfall for the Champagne region as a whole is close to 700mm, ranging from 600mm to 900mm depending on the area.

Average annual temperature is just 11°C. The mean number of sunshine hours per year is 1,680, rising to 2,100 hours or more in certain years (1976 and 2003, for instance).

Summer and winter alike, the vineyards are at the mercy of variable weather. Winter frosts (on average 1.1 day a year of temperatures below –10°C, up to 3 days in some places) can be severe enough to kill the vines. Likewise, spring frosts can destroy nascent leaves and buds, dramatically reducing yield potential (48% loss in 2003). June may bring cold, wet weather that interferes with flowering and fruit set, increasing the incidence of ‘coulure’ (bud or berry drop) and ‘millerandage’ (stunted berries). Summer frequently sees violent thunderstorms that leave the vineyards riven with gullies. Hailstorms are another frequent menace, seriously damaging vines and grape clusters alike (in 2000, 31 separate bouts of hail wiped out yields across a 3,000-hectare area).