CHAMPAGNE HARVEST UNDERWAY

The 2007 champagne harvest began last week and will cross the 323 villages of the French region over the next two weeks. The US is the second largest champagne export market behind the UK and has steadily increased for the last five years, said office of champagne, USA director Sharon Castillo.

More than 100,000 workers and volunteers certified by the Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) from across Europe will pick all the grapes by hand. Machine-harvesting is strictly forbidden in Champagne, according to the quality regulations of the Champagne appellation.