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Recession or not, life, the vines and the yearly harvest must go on – and for an increasing number of houses that means using environmentally friendly ways of growing grapes and making wine, writes GILLIAN IVORY

Just a few days away from the start of the grape-picking season, it’s obvious that the global recession has hit hard. Consumption of champagne in 2008 was dramatically down on previous years, and so the maximum amount of grapes each grower is allowed to pick per hectare this year is roughly 22 per cent less than in the previous season, with the reserve not included. But, recession or not, life, the vines and the yearly harvest must go on, and the place is buzzing in preparation for the most important time of the year.