It’ll come as no surprise that sales of Champagne peak in the run-up to Christmas and New Year, with French fizz the drink of choice for many households in the festive season.
Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers come to work in France, harvesting grapes across 34,000 hectares of vines. The harvest only lasts a couple of weeks, making it a frenetic time for the sector.
A darker side to the industry has emerged when it comes to that work, however, with recent reports shining a light on the exploitation and mistreatment of champagne grape pickers who are often foreign and undocumented migrants.
During an extreme heatwave in the late summer of 2023, at least four migrant grape pickers, or “vendangeurs” as they’re known, died in what has since been dubbed the “harvest of shame.”
The case highlighted broader substandard working and housing conditions for pickers, including excessive working hours, low pay, a lack of safety equipment and protocols, such as adequate hydration and breaks.
