Amid early harvests in Burgundy and Bordeaux, the winegrowers of Champagne are calling 2011 one of the toughest years in the region's history.
An unusually warm spring preceded a cool and wet summer with occasional hailstorms, Decanter reports, presenting some of the most difficult growing conditions in living memory.
"Some growers have lost a considerable amount of their fruit due to hail damage; those who have not now may face problems of dilution and rot in the winery," consultant Herve Jestin told the publication.
The Cote de Blancs also suffered as grape sugar levels stubbornly refused to increase in August, in spite of warm and sunny weather - something the Champagne trade body CIVC is at a loss to explain.
This led to many growers beginning their harvests in a bout of torrential rain on August 26th, raising further fears that rot and dilution will affect the harvest.
It also seems likely that producers will use chaptalisation, the addition of sugar, to compensate for the lack of natural sugars.
However, Eric De Souza, a grower in Avize, said the quality of the wines themselves has not been completely lost.
"We have some concerns about the structure and weight of the 2011 wines," he told Decanter.
"Nonetheless, the wines are balanced by good acidity."
Meanwhile, Jancis Robinson recently commented in the Financial Times that this year's weather in Champagne could put a dent in the pink champagne trade.
Pinot Noir and Meunier, the dark-skinned grape varietals that are crucial to making pink champagne, are particularly susceptible to rot.
The timing could barely be worse commercially, as pink champagne sales have taken off significantly in the last decade, accounting for 8.5 per cent of all champagne shipments.
Big estates with a reputation for their rose, such as Veuve Clicquot, Billecart Salmon, Bruno Paillard and Laurent Perrier, produce their own red wine and own vineyards that will supply their needs, added Ms Robinson.
"But many producers buy in still red wine from specialist producers such as the Union Auboise, the co-op in the southern part of Champagne where Pinot Noir dominates," she went on to say.