In France, it was allowed to increase the strength of champagne due to abnormal heat

Due to the effects of extreme heat and drought in French Champagne, winemakers are officially allowed to make champagne stronger for the first time. According to the BBC, the permissible strength of the world-famous drink was temporarily allowed to be raised from 13 to 15 percent.

The thing is that the grapes accumulated an unusually high amount of sugar this summer, so already at the time of harvest the berries produced a higher potential alcohol level, and after the second fermentation a small part of the wines can reach 13.1-13.2 percent alcohol.

Also, the summer of 2026 went down in history because grapes began to be harvested unusually early - in early August. The stronger-than-usual champagne will not go on sale until 2028, as the drink requires a minimum of 15 months of aging. Producers in this situation count on a particularly high quality harvest, although its volume will not be so large.