Illustrative photo of a red wine. Reproduction. France's scorching summer is hampering grape development in wine regions such as Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy, threatening to reduce the harvest and bringing forward one of the earliest harvests on record, producers said on Tuesday (7). ??Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 A record heatwave at the end of June, followed by more days of intense heat and dry weather since last week, slowed grape growth and damaged younger vines in France, the world's second-largest wine producer. "We can see the potential of the crop melting under the sun," said Laurent Delaunay, president of the Burgundy wine industry association (BIVB), adding that producers' main concern is the lack of water. Meteorologists predict little or no rain in France's main wine-producing regions before July 14, extending a dry spell that has already lasted more than three weeks in many areas. Red, white or rosé wine: see which foods go well with each type What is the right temperature to store and serve wine? Understand whether all wine ages well and how many years it can stay in the barrel Earliest harvest in history In the Champagne region, producers are expecting the earliest harvest ever recorded, with the harvest expected to begin around August 15 — about a month earlier than was common a few decades ago. At the moment, grape production is expected to be around 10% below last year's figure, although wine production may not fall by the same amount as producers can draw on reserve stocks, said Maxime Toubart, president of the Champagne winegrowers' union. "We were lucky enough to have a very wet winter, so the soil wasn't excessively dry at the beginning of the season. But now we can see that the grapes are no longer increasing in size," said Toubart. According to him, the forecast could still be revised if the region receives heavy rain, but without storms, in the next two weeks. In Bordeaux and Burgundy, where the heatwave was even more intense, producers said it was too early to make accurate production estimates, but warned the drop would be "significant." The quality of the wine may not necessarily be affected, producers say. However, heat and drought tend to raise sugar levels in grapes, which can alter the flavor and alcohol content of the drink. Harvest is also expected to start exceptionally early in several regions. In Bordeaux, the first grapes destined for the production of crémant sparkling wines must be harvested in the first week of August. In Burgundy, the harvest is expected to begin around August 20th.