Champagne allows higher-alcohol wines as climate change alters harvests

France's Comité Champagne has authorized a temporary exemption allowing wines up to 15% alcohol, exceeding the usual 13% limit, due to an exceptional harvest marked by frost, drought, and heatwaves. The interprofessional body warns such conditions may become the norm under climate change. This marks a regulatory adaptation to shifting growing conditions, with implications for the champagne industry's product standards.