France's Champagne Harvest Is Worst in 40 Years

Wet weather and hailstorms combined to make this year's Champagne harvest—the real capital C stuff from France—the worst in 40 years, reports BloombergBusinessweek. Damaged vineyards in the Champagne region yielded 40% fewer grapes this year, says an industry spokesman in Paris. The only good news is that this New Year's Eve won't be affected because bottles typically age 15 months. Generally speaking, it's been a lousy year for grapes all across Europe, notes the Huffington Post. (More champagne stories.)