vintage will be mediocre to average even if the weather stays perfect up to the harvest, and could be disastrous if it turns wet or hot.

Picking is expected to begin in mid-September for red-wine grapes in Burgundy, Beaujolais and the Rhone valley and around September 18-20 in Bordeaux, regional officials said.

A weak vintage year could set back efforts to recover from international protests a year ago against Paris' nuclear testing programme, which dented French exports and led consumers to try wines from producers like Australia and Chile.

It would also be another piece of bad news for a country already sunk in gloom over a weak economy, near-record unemployment and fears of social unrest triggered by government austerity plans.

In Burgundy, Beaujolais country, the Rhone valley and the champagne-growing region, the vineyards were hit by abnormally heavy rains and cool temperatures during July and August, causing the grapes to swell up with moisture and mature behind schedule, growers and industry experts said.

In Bordeaux, rainfall and temperatures were more ideal and the outlook is better, but the harvest in two to three weeks time is also vulnerable to a change in the weather, the experts cautioned.

The biggest danger would be a shift to rain and warmer temperatures across central and southern France. This could cause the grapes to rot, which would slash yields and damage quality, industry officials said.

In a favourable omen for the crucial period ahead, cool "mistral'' breezes are now blowing across much of central and southern France, keeping rain away from key growing regions.

"We are now lucky to have the mistral, which has been quite strong in the past few days, drying out the grapes after the heavy August rains and thus preventing rot,'' said Sylvie Reboul of the Cote du Rhone Winemakers Federation in a typical comment.

"If the rain stays away and the grapes do not rot, then the harvest could be quite good, though not exceptional. The key is the wind,'' she said.

The harvest for Rhone valley white wine grapes could begin as soon as next week, while in champagne country, picking will begin around September 20, officials said.

In Burgundy, new rains at the end of August have put growers on edge, said Claire Contamine of the Burgundy Wine Board.

"This will delay maturity, and a bit of rot has developed, making us a bit nervous,'' she said. "We are less optimistic than we were a week ago.'' *** Hair removal is not a pleasant grooming task. Ask any woman who has struggled with the awkwardness and irritation of shaving, or the pain and mess of waxing away unwanted hair.

But a sweet-tasting removal technique practised by Cleopatra and popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries has caught on in the United States.

It is called body sugaring and practitioners say it is much better than waxing, shaving or plucking.

Georgina DiPasquale and Melissa Mangieri, owners of Elegant Ten & Tan in Russellton, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, said they heard about the process after it caught on in parts of the West Coast and Europe. They said the method is better than other hair removal techniques because it is less painful, less messy, less likely to cause irritation and better for the skin. The best part, they said, is that most women can go for a month to six weeks between treatments.