Bordeaux business: 2018 Harvest update

A bumpy start, but a beautiful finish!

If 2018 gave winemakers heart palpitations early in the season (heavy hailstorms in May and another episode in July; excessive rainfall in July causing powdery mildew that affected most vineyards), the year redeemed itself beautifully after mid-July, with plenty of heat and sunshine, and minimal rainfall, continuing through August and September. Harvesting began (August 20^th for the Crémants and rosé wines; August 24^th for Sauvignon Gris, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon grapes through September 22^nd; September 17^th – 22^nd for Merlot; late September through October 10^th for Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon; finally early October for Sémillon and Muscadelle for the sweet white wines). Despite the hail and mildew volumes for 2018 are expected to be near the 10-year average of 5.1 million hl