Harvests at burgundy vineyards have already started thanks to a run of fine weather.

Frederic Drouhin from Joseph Drouhin said the warm weather over the last few days has accelerated the maturing process.

He began to pick his crop on Monday (September 20th) but had originally planned to start on Wednesday (September 23rd).

"The first grapes [that] have been picked show nice alcoholic potential and are even better than expected. This is certainly due to the larger proportion of millerand," Mr Drouhin remarked.

He noted the cool nights have meant acidity levels have "remained good", but yields are predicted to be 20 per cent lower than in 2009.

The Cote de Nuit area is also "doing well", as the grapes have thick skins, which indicates a "good quality factor", Mr Drouhin observed.

In a recent interview with Decanter.com, Vanya Cullen, managing director and senior winemaker at Cullen Wines in Western Australia's Margaret River, indicated wine - which often features in luxury gift hampers - can be spoilt if a cork lid is used rather than a screw cap.