Vintage turned out pretty good. Half the Pinots are done ML already and seem in pretty good balance. A warm finish and my fear was more rich, solar feeling wines. We shall see. The Chardonnays are tense and taught, Sojeau and Bracken both racy and 12% alcohol, no more. We brought in Chard from Freedom hill with a different sort of structure, will be its own bottling but also be a big support for the WV 2025.
Will Hamilton, Violin
Eola-Amity, Willamette Valley
November 6, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The beginning of the harvest looked complicated because the grapes were very sweet and in good health but not mature enough when the rain arrived. Fortunately, the grapes held up thanks to Jeanne’s good work and the balance of the vines. As soon as the good weather returned, we were able to harvest magnificent bunches: “2025, a great vintage!” We opted for a small team of regular harvesters and friends of the estate. Thanks to them!
Sébastien Cornille, Domaine de la Roche Bleue
Jasnières, Loire Valley
November 5, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
2025 will be a great vintage in terms of juice quality, lots of concentration and beautiful aromatics, but unfortunately not so much in terms of quantity, as we suspected after the August heatwave. Since October, I’ve been doing a lot of tastings with the new 2024, and it’s a very accessible vintage, fresher than 2023, already well established in the bottle. It’s going to be a good year for tours with clients and wine fairs !
Pauline Villa, Hugo and Pauline Villa
Saint Joseph, Rhône Valley
October 30, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
August 14 we started the harvest and by August 27th everything was in. On August 28, the fire was finally extinguished.
Let’s talk about the wines. This treasure that we find hard to believe possible. It must be admitted that cultivating biodiversity paid off: the yeasts were there, in place, ready to do the job. The fermentations were beautiful, fast and delicious. A PARTY after this quixotic marathon.
The whites are now on lees, quietly in barrel. The reds, too, but they are already fermenting, in full malo as we write these words. Rather low pH, solid acids and a careful look at the infusions allow us to taste a delicious and promising vintage.
Lucile Morin and Paul Meunier, Domaine Paul Meunier
Centernach, Roussillon
October 21, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Our 15 days of picking were spread from the 5th of September (a few days of early Cinsault, Syrah, and Grenache for the rosé) until the 7th of October – the night of the impressive Harvest Full Moon – for the last of the Grenache and Mourvedre. This is about a week ahead of our typical harvest window but it wasn’t a year to push the maturities. And we were lucky enough to have our regular picking team on-hand to navigate through this tricky season, ably led by Clémence.
The whites (Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Rolle) enjoyed the rain, giving good yields (apart from the Roussanne – we never break the 20hl/ha there). The yields on early reds (Syrah, Cinsault) were OK, the Grenache less so. But the result (we are through the alcoholic fermentations but awaiting the malo-lactic fermentations) seems surprisingly positive given all the hoo-haa of the past months. The wines are fresher – our signature acidity very much present – lower alcohol (whites 12-13°, reds 13-14.5°), with fine tannins and healthy fruit presence.
James King, Château Unang
Ventoux, Rhône Valley
October 20, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
For us, harvest was exceptional, allowing us to have beautiful maturity–something impossible for two years. We have therefore renewed our most beautiful cuvées in Layon, dry whites and a red. Le Pineau d’Aunis also is promising.
Cyrille Lecointre, Domaine Lecointre
Anjou, Loire Valley
October 17, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest has been long this year, we had a week of rain in the middle that prolonged everything. The vineyard at Terreno suffered some mold but the other ones luckily not so much. So far we have a really good quality and alcohol is looking good. I think we will land at an average of 13.5% which I’m happy with. It is fascinating how well the different vineyards show their personality fermenting on open vessels.
Sofia Ruhne, Terreno
Chianti, Italy
October 15, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We lost 85% of our crop due to hail and mildew! Definitely the worst vintage in volume since Kerrie and I have been at Lavernette!!
Xavier de Boissieu, Château de Lavernette
Leynes, Burgundy
October 14, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As for the harvest, the quality was incredible, beautiful, the Barolo were really fantastic! It was a nice harvest, nice weather-almost no rain, sunny but chilly and not too warm. The quantity instead was not a lot; we had a low yield as everyone this year, but we are still very happy 🙂
We finished Tuesday with the Bussia. It was “fast” because the grapes were in perfect condition so there was no need to do a selection.
Vittoria Argamante, Podere Ruggeri Corsini
Barolo, Italy
October 9, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The season started with a complicated spring in particular for the organic producers. This is because there was continuous rain, so different treatments had to be done. In a few areas, the most humid of the vineyards, there was also the presence of downy mildew that hit part of some bunches. The rest of the season was stable and warm.
In July, when usually the worst heat waves arrive, we had nice rain events that provided a good supply of water to the land. This helped to arrive at ripening time without any stress for the plants.
All this resulted in a harvest with very rich and healthy bunches and an excellent yield in terms of musts. Moreover, the wine has great acidity, low ph, fresh with very nice sapid note and correct alcohol level. We expect wines with a beautiful fragrance, freshness, cleanliness and length in the mouth. This will definitely result in products with great potential ageing. It is a common idea among producers and winemakers that the 2025 vintage will be an historic vintage to remember.
Andrea Petrini, Tenuta dell’Ugolino
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Italy
October 9, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The 2025 Riesling harvest was a real challenge. The weather was more like April than a Golden October. It was a constant back and forth between rain and sunshine. The harvest team was ready to go at any time, but we didn’t want to harvest the golden-yellow grapes in the rain. So we waited until the next sunshine period dried the grapes again and then we carried on.
And so, finally, on October 6th – earlier than ever before – we brought home the last Riesling grapes, dry and undamaged by the rain. Overall, it was a fantastic harvest and we are thrilled with the results. Full barrels and a wonderful vintage—what more could we wish for? The Riesling juice is fermenting and nature is taking its course: grape juice is turning into wine.
We were able to harvest all qualities up until the Auslese category. The high ripeness levels promise exceptional Riesling wines and we look forward to the first barrel tastings. [Picture at top of page is of the vines at Sybille Kuntz.]
Sybille Kuntz and team, Weingut Sybille Kuntz
Lieser Niederberg-Helden, Mosel, Germany
October 8, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest is finished, quality is top, quantity bad for the domaine.
Sophie Chardon, Domaine de l’Aumonier
Touraine, Loire Valley
October 7, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest has never started so early (August 30th). We had a big storm on August 20th, and it rained about 100 mm. We had to work very fast because there was a little mildew. But the grapes collected were beautiful, and the quality and quantity were there. We had a normal harvest, for which we are very happy.
Béatrice Philippon, Château de Fleys
Chablis, Burgundy
October 5, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Millésime 2025 in preparation under the watchful eye of Papy Alain, with Theo and Florent at the controls of the first decuvage… Smelling awesome in the cellar.
A treat!
Ollier-Taillefer Team, Domaine Ollier-Taillefer
Faugères, Languedoc
October 6, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest 2025 officially ended on Tuesday, September 30th, with Tinto Cão, the latest ripening of the 20+ local varieties we grow in our Quinta do Tedo estate vineyards. Our last grapes are in, our 4 lagares are scrubbed down, and our new Portos and Douro DOC wines are between finishing primary or malolactic fermentation and starting their aging process in inox and used and new oak vessels of varying sizes. While it’s still too early to say, what harvest 2025 did not provide in quantity (Douro producers experienced 30-50% lower yields than average due to rainy and windy conditions at flowering, and significant disease pressure throughout the growing season), it provided in quality fruit, admirable team work and beautiful memories with new and familiar faces.
Kay Bouchard, Quinta do Tedo
Portugal
October 5, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We decided to start the harvest on Friday, August 29th. The first must analyses confirmed our decision, allowing us to benefit from the best possible phenolic maturities, without penalizing the sugar content through too much dilution. The potential degrees range from 12.5 to 13.1% ABV.
The average harvested volumes are a bit disappointing for the crus but acceptable for the Village and Burgundy appellations. This 2025 vintage, which seemed to be shaping up under the sign of calm after 2024, still offered us some surprises during the final stretch. The ripeness of the grapes harvested for this vintage, after a strict sorting in the vineyard of the bunches affected by the heat, provides us with musts of great quality and wines rich with a very beautiful character.[For more details on Harvest 2025 see here.]
Etienne Chaix, Domaine Joseph Voillot
Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
October 2, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Here harvest is finished, and I am working in the cellar to prepare Vintage 2025. It will be MAGNIFICENT! A little less volume but a very pretty freshness!!
Amélie d’Hurlaborde, Mas d’Amile
Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc
October 1, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest is already over, since Sept. 18 actually. We never finished that early! Juices taste really good, great acidity levels for an early harvest, but volumes are really low. This also explains this quick harvest.
I still have 2 pinots on skin – décuvage should happen on Thursday.
Mélanie Pfister, Domaine Pfister
Bas-Rhin, Alsace
September 30, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
Here, the crop has been small, because of the heatwaves, but the wines are beautiful, they have had great fermentation and are now all in barrels. We regret not having more white, but it really wasn’t the year for the macabeu… The last wine is made since Thursday, it’s an amazing Muscat de Rivesaltes, the mutage is done. Meanwhile we think the reds are starting their malo.
Lucile Morin, Domaine Paul Meunier
Centernach, Roussillon
September 29, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A vintage that will be talked about…low but regular rainfall, two heatwave episodes at the end of June and mid-August (the last one hurt!), and a heavy decimation by wild boars who also were thirsty. This all produced a harvest that will be the lowest in 32 years. In fact, it is necessary go back to 1993 and a Dantesque hail storm to find volumes similarly reduced. We lost around 40% in white and 30% in red. Small quantity therefore, but exceptional quality because of the perfect sanitary condition and the cool nights which were miraculous since August 20. The tannins are velvety, fresh and often with cocoa aromas on the reds, a treat!
Ollier-Taillefer Team, Domaine Ollier-Taillefer
Faugères, Languedoc
September 27, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greetings from the Rieslings harvest 2025. After a fantastic summer with moderate heat, wonderful mild barbecues evenings and wonderful downpours for the vines and vegetable garden, the vineyards looked fantastic. But then, at the beginning of September: rain, rain, rain. The thirsty vines welcomed the coolness and gulped down copious amounts of rainwater. The result: The grapes thickened and threatened to burst. A renewed heat wave regulated the water balance in the berries. By this time, in mid-September, the must weight was already above the long-term average recorded.
So, the harvest began in mid-September. The outlook was very promising. Great qualities for Qualitätswein and Kabinett. We even managed to harvest some Spätlese and Auslese wines already. But then the weather turned bad again. More rain. After rain, sunshine usually comes. So we wait for the rain-free period next week. The Riesling vines could still handle a few rain showers until then. [Picture at top of page is of the vines at Sybille Kuntz.]
Sybille Kuntz and team, Weingut Sybille Kuntz
Lieser Niederberg-Helden, Mosel, Germany
September 25, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
For our part, we’re just finishing our harvest. They started very early this year (August 23). We’re pretty happy with the harvest. It has been a long time since we had such a volume (even if it’s not exceptional because of this summer’s dry conditions, it’s already much better than in years of frost or hail). We’re also happy with the quality.
Béryl Saget, Château Marie Plaisance
Bergerac, Southwest France
September 24, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We are pleased to share with you a special moment from the estate: the 2025 harvest took place from August 22 to September 4, under sunny skies from start to finish (or almost!). For nearly two weeks, we had the pleasure of welcoming 46 people, who worked together in a wonderful atmosphere.
These harvest days leave us with great expectations:
• Grapes of outstanding quality
• Balanced and satisfying yields
• A fantastic team, which reassures us in our choice to continue with manual harvesting in the years ahead – the harvest spirit is no myth!
The vintage looks very promising, and we are already eager to share it with you.
Sébastien Branger, Domaine Claude Branger
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Loire Valley
September 19, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We harvested our last reds this weekend after 3 weeks of a complicated harvest. We started cutting on August 22, and on the 23rd we brought in our red Mercureys. A wonderful team of harvesters accompanied us for a week where we alternated between hot, cold, and rain–in short, very unpredictable and stressful weather.
The grapes looked really beautiful but unfortunately we didn’t get much juice, especially from the reds. The 2025 Pinots are going to be rare in Burgundy except for those who waited for the rain (which fell 45 mm in 24 hours among other things). They will certainly have wine but with what taste? It will be interesting to compare! We chose to harvest early because the taste of the grapes was there 😏.
Gaëlle Meunier, Domaine Gaëlle et Jérôme Meunier
Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
September 15, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
We’ve been scrambling for the past two and a half weeks to get fruit in for base wines, and now some of the still Pinot Noirs. Things raced a bit here, but we got things in when they needed to come. It’a been a very unique growing season here, with a dry spring, then a moderate but dry summer, followed by some heat the second half of August. Windier than normal growing season, but fruit is juicy, both in flavor and in volume, malic acids are low across the board, sugars are modest, and skins are either darkly hued (more black than blue) or light red and sometimes slightly translucent. And though we picked fruit that was very ready, and days are still warm, sugars are only advancing slowly but pH is drifting up a bit.
Marcus Goodfellow, Goodfellow Family Cellars
Willamette Valley, Oregon
September 12, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
The harvest is over! The harvest is magnificent in quality; it is a joy to work with such beauty in our cellar. The quantity, however, is not there. One wonders if the professionals should review the returns. But that’s another debate.
In any case, everything went well, and I am very happy with this vintage which will be under your good care. We will start pressing this weekend.
Laure Jambon-Mareau, Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes
Côte de Brouilly, Burgundy
September 12, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
What a special harvest! We knew since flowering in June that the harvest would start early, at the beginning of September. But thanks to the sunny weather in August, we brought our dates forward by almost a week. The grapes were magnificent, very sweet (between 11 and 12% potential ABV) and with good acidity (6.5-7 g/L). There is no doubt that the wines will be excellent 😀 Alcoholic fermentation is underway. I can’t wait to discover the future wines!
This year saw the lowest Chardonnay harvest, with small, light bunches. Pinot grapes achieved higher yields. This is thought to be due to the weather during flowering: cold weather at the end of May during the Chardonnay flowering period, and warmer weather at the beginning of June when the Pinot grapes flowered.
Now it’s time to monitor the vinifications, tidying up, cleaning everything….
Delphine Laborde, Champagne Laborde
Nogent l’Abbesse
September 10, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
Rain stopped and we will continue harvesting tomorrow.
Mélanie Pfister, Domaine Pfister
Bas-Rhin, Alsace
September 10, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest began 22 August and we finished last Thursday.
A very good vintage for us: the exact opposite of 2024, with a team of truly great people to help us finish in time. We also got lucky with the weather, quite sunny, windy, so very good for the grapes’ quality.
Baptiste Meyniel, Domaine Claude Branger
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Loire Valley
September 9, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest is now finished, and we were blessed to have a really great one in terms of both quantity and quality. A real sense of satisfaction after this year spent in the vines.
Perrine & Kevin Fresne, Champagne Perrine Fresne
Sermiers, Champagne
September 8, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Here harvest started early – August 25. Crémant grapes are fermenting, but now ripening is slower… and rain arrived. We will do our best 😉.
Mélanie Pfister, Domaine Pfister
Bas-Rhin, Alsace
September 5, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
Alta Langa was amazing, Sparkling Nebbiolo’s grapes too. Today we press Sauv and Arneis for Langhe Bianco, we already picked Dolcetto and some Barbera. All shining but very LOW productions..the sun has dried the grapes and concentrated the juice.
Enrico Nada, Nada Giuseppe
Barbaresco, Italy
September 3, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * *
The harvest promises to be very good. We will begin probably around September 18th. We now have cooler weather and a little rain, which is perfect although we still need to remain cautious.
Laurie Caslot, Domaine de la Chevalerie
Bourgueil, Loire Valley
September 2, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Quinta do Tedo’s harvest 2025 kicked off in mid-August with our 3-year-old (and quick-to-ripen) Bastardo parcel. This is Odile’s and Paolo’s second year vinifying our Bastardo (Jura’s Trousseau) into a light and innovative red wine, to complement our more structured and traditional Douro DOC wines; the results are positive.
We harvested our old vine Seita parcel, growing at Quinta do Tedo’s highest 250 m (820 ft) elevation, on Monday 25 August for Port production – our first lagar was filled! Normally, old vines are later to ripen, but, thanks to its higher elevation, Seita’s maturation was not as impacted by the > 35C temperatures and thus was first to ripen this year. The quality is, as it is most years and for most old vines, very promising.
Kay Bouchard, Quinta do Tedo
Portugal
September 1, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest is early and right now it’s difficult to say. It’s been raining a lot these last days and now the temperature is going up to around 35’c which is very hot… so we are doing the best we can to balance leaving the grapes that need to be left but also picking what we can as soon as possible…
Sofia Ruhne, Terreno
Chianti, Italy
September 1, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We are a week away from the Spätburgunder harvest and two weeks away from the Riesling harvest. It does look at the moment like an amazing vintage again. The Riesling berries are developing nicely and color toward a yellow golden tone. No quarrels with the weather so far. The sunny days always changed into some rainy days just at the right time. So no extreme weather conditions this year.
Markus Riedlin and Sybille Kuntz, Weingut Sybille Kuntz
Lieser Niederberg-Helden, Mosel, Germany
August 30, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
At the end of July, before going on vacation, I would have told you that it was magnificent, both in terms of quantity and quality! We did a great job during the month in the vineyard and that served us well for what followed. The heatwave during the first two weeks of August caused significant water stress and slowed down the ripening of the grapes. The whites, especially the Viognier, suffered a little. We did lose some of the harvest, but nothing catastrophic. A light rain at the end of August gave the vines a chance to breathe. 2025 should be very good, both in terms of quality and depth, especially for the reds.
Pauline Villa, Domaine Hugo & Pauline Villa
Saint Joseph, Rhône Valley
August 26, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Here we will start the harvest next Monday. It should have been a great vintage, but unfortunately on 25 June we were hit by a tornado accompanied by hail that devastated our vineyard. The damage is extensive and affects the vast majority of our plots.
Fortunately, we have stocks and will buy grapes from our organic colleagues to meet our needs. We also suffered material damage to a few buildings, but fortunately we are well insured. Not very encouraging! But that’s the way it is. We will keep our spirits up, continue to make wine, and believe in better days ahead.
Sophie Chardon, Domaine de l’Aumonier
Touraine, Loire Valley
August 26, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The temperature lowered significantly at the beginning of this week, but it was very hot last week, even too hot. It was between 39 and 42 degrees Celsius at its warmest between the 11th and the 15th of August following several days of more than 35 degrees Celsius. The vines suffered during this second heatwave and we lost grapes, mainly all those exposed to the setting sun. This is all the more infuriating because until then we did not have any burning during the first heatwave, unlike other years.
Friday, August 15th at 15:30, we had a big storm in Volnay, the only cloud on the coast. We feared the worst, but luckily we only had rain. A total of 10 mm in the wettest areas, but this rain was of little value to the plants because the heat that followed rapidly evaporated all the water.
So today we have numerous withered or burned grapes which we will have to sort at harvest. We took our first samples yesterday, and the sugar content is relatively high despite phenolic maturity not yet being reached. The acidity levels are similar to those in 2020, mostly because of the significant presence of tartaric acid which one finds in hot vintages unlike malic acid which is degraded by heat.
I have decided to start harvesting on August 29th, a little behind our dear neighbors in Volnay who will begin between the 26th and the 28th, because I want to obtain the optimum phenolic maturity. I am pinning my hopes on the precipitation announced for tomorrow and Thursday, which I hope will dilute the sugars and allow us to retain a bit more juice while maintaining the correct acidity level. As I am writing, I listen out the office window for the first drops; I think there are a number of us who are hoping for a few millimeters to try to find a bit more serenity.
I will write again once we take up the pruning shears.
Etienne Chaix, Domaine Joseph Voillot
Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
August 19, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The harvest is looking good at the moment. We did the first grape samples, and we have a parcel where the grapes are already at 10.8 degrees. Everything depends on the upcoming weather.
Tiphaine Picq, Gilbert Picq et ses Fils
Chablis, Burgundy
August 19, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It has been very hot and excessively dry for too long. The vines are beginning to severely suffer. There were a huge quantity of grapes, but I am afraid that by harvest time they will turn into currants.
The new cellar is not yet operational but should be by the end of the month for the harvest even if the craftsmen have to come back after the harvest to finish.
The market here in France is very heterogeneous as well as the international market and absent of any stable forecast. For my part, I have some new markets in Europe, so not so bad. But nothing is simple, unfortunately.
Jérôme Mathieu, Domaine Saje
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
August 18, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We expect to begin harvest around September 5-8. A rather healthy year so far with a yield expected to be relatively low for the Meuniers. We had a heatwave in July followed by two weeks of rain—weeks which worried winegrowers with the risk of gray rot. The good news is that good weather has returned, the heat has returned which will allow the veraison to continue progressing until harvest. We will, of course, remain attentive.
Julien Fournier, Champagne Thierry Fournier
Festigny, Champagne
August 12, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The harvest looks good for the moment–we haven’t had any climatic incidents, fingers crossed 😉. Harvest should begin at the end of August, which already portends a sunny vintage.
Marie-Laure Serrigny, Domaine Serrigny
Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy
August 12, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We shall have to see how the heatwave impacts (25°C overnight in Avignon, thankfully a bit cooler here), whether the vines advance quickly in maturity, or quite possibly shut down, and wait for cooler air. It has felt a late harvest to me up to now – some of the Syrah starting to hint otherwise.
The crop looks good at present but again the hot weather suggests that the grapes may not fully fill out. Grenache/cinsault now changing color. Given where we were in early June (after an extended wet/cold spring) it is extraordinary how clean the vineyard looks – which is only the case if you got your early treatments right. As ever, fingers crossed…
James King, Château Unang
Ventoux, Rhône
August 11, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The vines were really beautiful two weeks ago but a portion of them were touched by a hailstorm on July 23rd. The yield is therefore going to be weaker than expected, and the harvest will take place in two stages–the vines not affected by the hail probably around September 10th and those vines affected by the hail surely two weeks later.
It’s really too bad because the vintage was looking really good. Thank goodness we have stock in the cellar and insurance against hail, so we should be all right!
Émile Roblin, Domaine Matthias & Émile Roblin
Sancerre, Loire Valley
August 7, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
We think we will get started rather early with the Muscats Petits Grains and probably the Macabeus about 10 days from now. This year, we will wait on the reds a bit and the VDN a little more. But we are full of energy!
Commerce is not good here either. We can’t wait for it to resume. In the meantime, we have some new cards in production: we increased our autonomic agronomy by two donkeys and several chickens who will start grazing the vines this fall, and soon we will have pigs. All this to say that all is not gloomy!! We laugh a lot. (We also intend to improve our soils and the robustness of our vines.)
Lucile Morin, Domaine Paul Meunier
Centernach, Roussillon
August 6, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The grapes are beautiful, the weather makes me say that we will have a good balance between acidity and fruit. Let’s hope that the world economy improves and that we will all live in peace.
Léa Schaller, Domaine Orion
Chablis, Burgundy
August 6, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The vines are doing well because the summer is rather mild. The beginning of spring was a little hard, just like last year, and we feared the worst. But the weather improved in June and since then we have only had a few days of heat at the end of June without any seriousness. The month of July was then more classic with reasonable temperatures and even a very beneficial watering mid-July. We are moving towards an early year without excess and with optimal vegetative functioning without pronounced water stress for the moment.
The first maturity controls point us towards a beginning of harvest at 20/25 August at Estezargues. Finally, if the weather permits, it should go rather quickly since we have to remain vigilant about the alcohol content of the wines we produce.
I always follow assiduously the evolution of the tariff situation between the European Union and the US. It seems that the situation has stabilized with the tariffs at 15%, and we are starting to see more clearly. We may not even be safe from good news, because France in particular will continue to fight for wines and spirits to be exempt. Maybe there is a mouse hole to take!
Denis Deschamps, Combe Queyzaire
Côtes du Rhône
August 5, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Mathias is of course full of ideas for a great vintage 2025. Until now the weather is very good, we have sun, rain (!), a very hot June and a fresh July. Some vines were damaged by mildew and hail but the majority of our vines are great and they look good. Let’s see the result!
We will start harvest in the middle of August.
Sarah Frissant, Château Coupe Roses
Minervois, Languedoc
August 1, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Vintage is starting to look great, we could have a very high quality and less grapes (a blessing, in this moment).
Enrico Nada, Nada Giuseppe
Barbaresco, Italy
July 31, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Things are going well–we finally had a fair amount of rain in the month of July which helped fill the soil! Usually the sun will dry all that up in a few days in order to avoid rot from taking hold (we have a few berries here and there but nothing serious).
I am beginning to see some color but rather timidly in the Meunier plots. If I believe the adages, we should be harvesting in a good thirty days exactly as I planned–September 2nd. (But for me it was more of a logistical reason).
The potential for this harvest is there. Let’s see what happens in a month when I carry out my maturity checks.
Julien Lancelot, Champagne Lancelot-Pienne
Cramant, Champagne
July 31, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Here the season is progressing quite well, even if the temperatures are a little cool and the rain has arrived. We hope to have a favorable last month to be able to attend a good maturity without disease pressure in the vines.
Perrine & Kevin Fresne, Champagne Perrine Fresne
Sermiers, Champagne
July 30, 2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Things are great for now in Maisdon, compared to what we had in 2024 😃 we plan to harvest by 25th August, and the yields are expected great.
Baptiste Meyniel, Domaine Claude Branger
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Loire Valley
July 29,2025
* * * * * * * * * * * *