“Champagne sales surge at New Year — but labor abuses and tariffs have clouded the industry”, 31 December 2025

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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.

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Nonetheless, this year’s sales, which will be released in January, are likely to be further dented by U.S. import tariffs on goods from the EU, which caused Champagne shipments to the U.S. to slump.

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The murkier side of the Champagne industry came to light when at least four migrant grape pickers died during the 2023 harvest, which took place during an extreme heatwave.

Then, in the summer of 2025, three individuals were put on trial, accused of human trafficking and exploiting over 50 West African migrant workers during the 2023 harvest.

The victims reported being treated “like slaves” and “animals” and being housed in “hellish” and unsanitary conditions with no clean drinking water. Such conditions compromised workers’ safety, health and dignity, the labor inspectorate said in the case.

Unscrupulous hiring practices were also thrust into the spotlight during the trial as the defendants were affiliated with an employment agency which provided workers to the industry, highlighting Champagne houses’ widespread use of subcontractors and employment agencies, or more informal channels, to recruit grape pickers.

The defendants were convicted and handed fines and prison sentences, while trade unions said the use of “middlemen” and agencies had enabled Champagne houses to turn a blind eye to illegal working practices.

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CNBC asked the Comité Champagne whether welfare measures had been fully implemented by its member organizations since they were proposed, but has not yet received a response. CNBC also contacted several unions, including the CGT labor union and SGV union of Champagne growers, about the reforms, but did not receive responses.

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The industry has also faced challenges from within, with the CGT labor union at LVMH’s Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot’s champagne units calling on workers to strike in December over the cancellation of year-end bonuses and demands for better pay.

A spokesman for Moët & Chandon told CNBC that it would not comment on the dispute but that negotiations over pay would take place in early 2026, noting, “we cannot comment before the negotiations.”

If sales keep falling, the treatment of seasonal pickers will be just one challenge facing the industry.