The Champagne grape harvest, or vendanges as it’s known here in France, is a magical time of year. It is a period of excitement and anticipation. Sleepy villages wake up, vineyards come alive, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of ripe fruit. I had the incredible opportunity this year of participating in the Champagne vendanges for nearly the whole harvest. Come behind the scenes with me and learn all about this remarkable process in this blog post!

Menu

Introduction

About Champagne Damien Dumez

My Experience

What I Learned & Advice

Overall Thoughts

Introduction

The Champagne vendanges is a critical time when the future of the world’s most celebrated sparkling wine is determined. Literature and social media romanticise the work, but it is backbreaking and more technical than people realize. Tradition, art, science, nature, and physical work all come together to create the delightful liquid that we toast with on special occasions.

The Champagne harvest typically takes place in early to mid-September, but the exact timing can vary from year to year depending on the weather. It’s a crucial moment in winemaking, as the timing of the harvest can greatly influence the quality and style of the wine. For example, the heatwaves of 2022 led to the harvest starting at the end of August. This year (2023) was a classic year and the harvest started at the beginning of September.

The exact dates are determined by the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin Champagne (CIVC). This is the joint trade association acting in the interests of the Champagne designation. Every year, they publish the dates for the harvest. They vary by a few days depending on the village and grape variety.

In Champagne, grapes are harvested by hand. This labour-intensive process ensures only the finest fruit is selected. Skilled pickers move through the vineyards, carefully selecting bunches of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier grapes at their peak of ripeness. The process is an art in itself, as pickers must be gentle to avoid damaging the delicate grape clusters.

About Champagne Damien Dumez

I had the incredible opportunity to work for Champagne Damien Dumez in the Premier Cru village of Sacy. A stone’s throw from Reims, this family-run Champagne House has been producing bubbly for over half a century. They own vineyards in the villages of Sacy, Chamery, Ecueil, Sermiers and Villedommange.

They are a récoltant-coopérateur. In other words, grape growers that are members of the Cooperative de Sacy. For readers unfamiliar with cooperatives, they allow members to share equipment needed for the vinification of the wines. Sacy’s cooperative is particular because it allows its members independence: they can use the shared equipment to elaborate their own cuvees and sell under their own names. All the grapes come from the vineyards of Sacy’s terroirs, harvested by the members of the cooperative. Other cooperatives use all the grapes and wines for a collective brand (a famous example is Champagne Mailly Grand Cru).

Of course, I had the chance to try their champagnes — Brut and Rosé de saignée — and they are really lovely. The second one is particularly interesting because of its dark colour and powerful aromas. Unexpected for a rosé! Highly recommend both.

My Experience

For years, it has been a dream of mine to escape to the vineyards of Europe to help with the grape harvest. So when I had the chance this year in Champagne, I jumped on it! Many of the locals here have done it at least once and I received a lot of helpful advice before starting.

Unlike many wine regions, Champagne still relies on hand-harvesting. This labour-intensive process ensures that only the ripest and healthiest grapes are picked, maintaining the highest quality standards. Skilled workers, often with specialized shears, work meticulously to select and cut each cluster.

Finding an Employer

A lot of people – especially from back home in Canada – do not realize that these are actually paid jobs, not volunteering. Workers need to legally be allowed to work in France — something that tourist visas do not allow. France’s strict labour laws mean that volunteering is in a sort of gray zone that most wineries do not want to deal with. There are controls that can check the papers of workers on the fly: we needed to keep our ID, contracts, and hours worked with us at all times. Of course, there are always places that will accept free labour. Some Champagne houses offer oenotourisme experiences where you pay to work for an hour or two and then enjoy a nice lunch… a little funny in my opinion, but lots of tourists do it!

The big famous Champagne Houses usually buy their grapes from growers. They employ foreign workers through agencies. These workers are extremely efficient and hard-working — grape and fruit picking are their career. Lodging (workers’ barracks or hotel rooms) and meals might be provided. Smaller houses might have a team of foreign workers but they generally employ motivated friends and family to help out too. I found my position in the latter through one of my networking groups.

There are different jobs available during the harvest. Besides grape pickers, there are positions available for porters, tractor drivers, as well as a slew of technical positions for the presses and cellars. Most of the jobs outside of the vines require a diploma, certification, and/or experience.

A Typical Day

AM

I worked in the vendanges for 9/10 days. My day would start before the crack of dawn, when I would meet my carpool and we would make our way to the Maison for 7:15am. Once there, we would enjoy a communal casse–croûte (quick breakfast and coffee) and prepare sandwiches for our morning break.

This time was also useful to look at the numbers from the previous day’s harvest, to stretch/warm-up, or to refresh on what sorts of grapes to avoid (we had a cheat-sheet with images of healthy vs rotten bunches). We would then grab our equipment and head on to our transportation to the vineyards. Equipment included gardening gloves, a bucket, sécateurs (small shears), big bottles of water (provided to us), and rain gear if needed. Some people also brought support belts and knee protection.

We would pile up in the back of a tractor/wagon and head on out to the vineyards. The parcels of the day were determined ahead of time based on the ripness of the grapes. Most of the vines we cleared were on flat or gentle slopes. For the steeper hills near the end, we climbed into the back of unmarked white vans — it felt a little clandestine lol!

Our group worked, on average, 7 hours a day. Rain or shine. We would work 4 hours in the morning, with a 20-30 minute break somewhere around 10am. We would eat the sandwiches we prepared before heading out. As the vendanges progressed, this was a fun social time. We would snack, drink water, chat, dance, clean our equipment, etc. Then we would return to work for a couple of hours until lunchtime.

PM

Lunch would be between an hour or hour and a half long. We would use the time to eat and relax. Many people napped. I liked to walk around the village of Sacy to stretch out my legs a bit. The Château de Sacy is a well-known hotel/restaurant in the area.

After lunch, we would return to the vines for another 3 hours or so. There would be another water break in the middle, similar to the morning break but without sandwiches. At the end of the day, we drove back to the Maison for champagne and snacks. This part was a blast and everyone would normally stay for a couple of hours!

For anyone curious about the little glasses, they are known as blida glasses. Inspired by Algerian mint tea glasses, they are popular in the Champagne region for celebrations or serving groups.

In the Vines

The Lows

Working in the vines is harder than most people realize but I found it easier than what seasoned pickers had warned me. For starters, you need to work whether it is sunny or rainy. And of course it rained on the first day. The rain makes everything slick and slippery. Gloves stay wet and cold. But the silver lining is that my gloves and clothes weren’t sticky or too smelly afterwards. And there were less bugs!

Speaking of bugs, they were everywhere. All sorts of earwigs and spiders. There was one day where five spiders fell out of my hair when it was time to shower! And another day where chiggers attacked my ears. But there are also more pleasant critters like ladybugs. Along the vines are little biodegradable plastic tags. They contain pheromones that scare away butterflies/moths that are harmful to the vines, so don’t expect to see any of these insects around.

Quality control is a big reason why Champagne grapes need to be harvested by hand. Each bunch is carefully examined for rot and mold. Because we are wearing gloves, there wasn’t much concern about touching either. The mold I am referring to is known as grey rot. It is the result of consistently wet or humid conditions. The bunches let out a cloud of spores when you touch them/cut off the bad parts which can be a little unpleasant. The worst were the really rotten bunches that turned to vinegar. They smell incredibly strong and the whole bunch must be discarded. This was a big problem with the Meunier grapes this year.

The Highs

Being outside for a week and a half with mostly pleasant weather and incredible views was certainly a treat. One of my favourite things to do in Champagne is explore the small villages of the region and stroll in the vineyards. This certainly gave me my fix!

Something very important that most people don’t talk about is the sense of camaraderie between the harvesters. We are all toiling together in all sorts of weather and terrains for the shared goal of picking the best grapes that we can. Despite the hard work, it is a joyous convivial time with family and friends all lending a hand and cheering each other on. I made some great new friendships with my teammates and lots of fond memories.

What I Learned and Advice

If you are looking at participating in the Champagne vendanges, here is some helpful advice:

1. Most places will provide gloves, shears, and buckets. ALWAYS wash/rinse them during breaks and at the end of the day. They will be less sticky and smelly that way. At the end of each day, I washed them thoroughly with soap (dish soap works the best). I also tossed them in the wash with the rest of my harvest clothes.
2. I had brought my own anti-cut gloves that I recommend. I often hear horror stories of people accidentally cutting their fingers and I almost chopped my own a few times.
3. Wear shoes that are comfortable, have good grip, and are easy to clean (or that you want to throw away later). They will be incredibly sticky and smelly from all the grape juice that falls on them. I wore these. I washed them at the end of every day with dish soap and tossed them in the washing machine with the rest of my harvest gear at the very end. Highly recommend.
4. Don’t wear any nice clothing. They will be very sticky and stained with grape juice. I wore my workout clothes. I also recommend wearing pants that are comfortable in hot weather (I wore my leggings). There can be a lot of prickly plants and stinging nettles between the vines, especially as vineyards are more sustainable.
5. Don’t mix your harvest clothes/gloves with your regular clothes when you do the laundry.
6. Wear a hat and sunscreen! Sunglasses will prohibit you from seeing unwanted mold etc on grapes. And you will absolutely need to protect yourself from the sun if you are outside for 7 hours!
7. Do lots of stretches throughout the day. During all my breaks, I made sure to do lots of stretches. At the end of the day, I did restorative yoga that I used to do after weightlifting. This will greatly reduce how much your muscles hurt the next day!
8. If you are not used to physical work, get a belt for back support. Knee protection can be a good idea if you prefer to kneel.
9. Your fingernails will be stained black afterwards. Use lemon wedges to clean them.
10. Talk to your partner, as well as others around you, and have fun. It makes the time pass so much faster and you will leave with new friends and memories.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, the Champagne vendanges is an incredible experience. It is absolutely fascinating being behind the scenes of one of the most famous wines of the world. I am very fortunate to see first-hand how grapes are grown and harvested for champagne. The amount of work that goes into its production certainly gives me a more profound admiration and for each bottle I pop open. I really feel like participating in the vendanges should be mandatory for anyone working in the wine industry. And honestly, most people I meet in the industry, especially winemakers, have a lot more respect for people that do.