Bulgarian grape harvesters work within the vineyards of Chateau de Meursault in Meursault, within the Burgundy area of central-eastern France, on August 26, 2025. (Photograph by ARNAUD FINISTRE / AFP) (Photograph by ARNAUD FINISTRE/AFP through Getty Photos)
Arnaud Finistre | Afp | Getty Photos
It’s going to come as no shock that gross sales of Champagne peak within the run-up to Christmas and New Yr, with French fizz the drink of alternative for a lot of households within the festive season.
Yearly, round 120,000 seasonal employees come to work in France, harvesting grapes throughout 34,000 hectares of vines. The harvest solely lasts a few weeks, making it a frenetic time for the sector.
A darker facet to the business has emerged with regards to that work, nonetheless, with latest reviews shining a lightweight on the exploitation and mistreatment of champagne grape pickers who are sometimes international and undocumented migrants.
Throughout an excessive heatwave within the late summer season of 2023, a minimum of 4 migrant grape pickers, or “vendangeurs” as they’re recognized, died in what has since been dubbed the “harvest of disgrace.”
The case highlighted broader substandard working and housing circumstances for pickers, together with extreme working hours, low pay, a scarcity of security tools and protocols, reminiscent of ample hydration and breaks.
The scandal round working circumstances and welfare comes at a troublesome time for the broader business — 2024’s harvest noticed decrease yields than common because of spring frosts and a wet interval through the summer season that solely subsided towards the tip of the rising season, nearly “saving” the harvest.
The 2025 harvest fared higher and was lauded for its high-quality classic, because of clement climate circumstances.
Nonetheless, this yr’s gross sales, which might be launched in January, are more likely to be additional dented by U.S. import tariffs on items from the EU, which triggered Champagne shipments to the U.S. to droop.
‘Blatant mistreatment’
The murkier facet of the Champagne business got here to mild when a minimum of 4 migrant grape pickers died through the 2023 harvest, which passed off throughout an excessive heatwave.
Seasonal employees harvest grapes in vineyards within the AOC (Appellation d’origine contrôlée) Champagne area on September 14, 2023 in Châtillon-sur-Marne, France.
Thierry Monasse | Getty Photos Information | Getty Photos
Then, in the summertime of 2025, three people had been placed on trial, accused of human trafficking and exploiting over 50 West African migrant employees through the 2023 harvest.
The victims reported being handled “like slaves” and “animals” and being housed in “hellish” and unsanitary circumstances with no clear ingesting water. Such circumstances compromised employees’ security, well being and dignity, the labor inspectorate mentioned within the case.
Unscrupulous hiring practices had been additionally thrust into the highlight through the trial because the defendants had been affiliated with an employment company which supplied employees to the business, highlighting Champagne homes’ widespread use of subcontractors and employment companies, or extra casual channels, to recruit grape pickers.
The defendants had been convicted and handed fines and jail sentences, whereas commerce unions mentioned the usage of “middlemen” and companies had enabled Champagne homes to show a blind eye to unlawful working practices.
In a abstract of the case which was held in Châlons-en-Champagne legal court docket, the prosecutor commented, “we can’t settle for that behind a bottle of Champagne lies uncontrolled subcontracting and blatant mistreatment.”
Gross sales challenges
The Comité Champagne — the overarching commerce physique for France’s Champagne business and representing over 16,000 winegrowers, 130 cooperatives and 370 Champagne homes — acknowledged that the court docket case had broken the business’s repute and mentioned it could take a “zero tolerance” method to any future abuses.
“We needed to stand with the victims. You do not play video games with the well being and security of seasonal employees. Nor do you play video games with the picture of our appellation,” Comité co-presidents David Chatillon and Maxime Toubart instructed Le Monde newspaper in July after the trial.
The Comité launched a “Collectively for the Champagne Harvest” motion plan to make sure that employee well being and security protocols and employee lodging had been improved, in addition to harvest rules.
A French Common Confederation of Labour (CGT) union member arms out pamphlets to seasonal grape pickers, typically international employees, in a Champagne winery to tell them of their labour rights, in Igny-Comblizy, jap France, on September 19, 2024.
Francois Nascimbeni | Afp | Getty Photos
Champagne winegrowers and homes have been eager to point out they’re dedicated to employees’ well-being. Moët & Chandon, the world’s largest producer and a part of LVMH, invested 1.5 million euros ($1.76 million) in new lodging for an additional 90 grape pickers in 2024, bringing the full capability of its lodging provision to as much as 1,900 beds.
CNBC requested the Comité Champagne whether or not welfare measures had been absolutely applied by its member organizations since they had been proposed, however has not but obtained a response. CNBC additionally contacted a number of unions, together with the CGT labor union and SGV union of Champagne growers, concerning the reforms, however didn’t obtain responses.
It is little question a troublesome time for the broader business — 2024’s harvest noticed decrease yields than common because of spring frosts and a wet interval through the summer season that solely subsided towards the tip of the rising season — nearly “saving” the harvest. The 2025 harvest fared higher and was lauded for its high-quality classic, because of clement climate circumstances.
Synonymous with north-eastern France, Champagne accounts for 10% of the world’s glowing wine manufacturing by quantity, however as a lot as 35% of glowing wine’s international market worth.Nonetheless, gross sales have declined lately amid a fall in international demand and declining alcohol consumption.
In 2023, shipments of Champagne (that are usually a mixture of a number of years’ harvests) totalled 299 million bottles, down 8.2% in comparison with the earlier yr. In 2024, 271 million bottles had been shipped, in response to the Comité Champagne knowledge. This yr’s gross sales face extra headwinds from U.S. import tariffs on items from the EU.
The business has additionally confronted challenges from inside, with the CGT labor union at LVMH’s Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot’s champagne items calling on employees to strike in December over the cancellation of year-end bonuses and calls for for higher pay.
A spokesman for Moët & Chandon instructed CNBC that it could not touch upon the dispute however that negotiations over pay would happen in early 2026, noting, “we can’t remark earlier than the negotiations.”
If gross sales maintain falling, the therapy of seasonal pickers might be only one problem dealing with the business.
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