Will Wine Thrive or Die with the Changing Climate
Give it a thought the next time you enjoy a glass of wine from your favorite winery
Love for wine is universal. More and more countries are producing, enjoying, and exporting wines every year. Love for wine is historical. There are records of human consumption of wine from centuries past. But is the changing climate impacting wine? Are these impacts positive or negative?
How does temperature influence wine?
We know temperature is one of the most important factors impacting wine. It is part of the terroir and is closely monitored. Bigger, bolder wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Petite Syrah prefer warmer weather. These wines also tend to have higher alcohol content, softer acidity, and a fuller body. Whereas lighter body wines such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir prefer cooler climates and have much higher acidity and bright fruit flavors.
How does changing temperature influence wine production?
For a few decades, the wine-producing world had been stable. First, we had old-world regions in Europe producing most of the wine. Second, emerging new world regions such as the United States, Australia, South Africa, South America, etc. trying to increase popularity and gain some market share.
But the last decade has upended the status quo. The weather in Burgundy. France seems to be getting too hot to sustainably produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Whereas countries like England, Belgium, and even Sweden traditionally not known for high-quality wines have significantly increased wine production. They are becoming major wine exporters and wine tourist destinations.
Something interesting has been happening in California too. As the state gets hotter the wines are improving. However, according to a researcher, this may not last forever.
“Quality has increased steadily up to now,” said lead author Kaan Kurtural, a professor of viticulture and enology and an extension specialist at UC Davis. “We just don’t know the tipping point.”
But why is this happening?
Higher temperatures tend to increase the sugar content in grapes which tends to increase alcohol content. This sometimes leads to better wines. But a hotter planet is aggravating some fundamental risks to wine production.
- Water: There is no sustainable wine production without water. Severe droughts across the world have the winemakers worried. They are coming up with innovative techniques to conserve and recycle water, but these will only help them in the short term.
- Excessive heat during harvest: In the United States most wine grapes are harvested around Labor Day. And for the past couple of years, most wine-growing regions have experienced record heat waves during this time of late summer. This affects the harvesting schedule and puts the winemakers in a conundrum, harvest too early and the grapes are not properly ripe or wait too late and the grapes shrivel into raisins. On occasions, the decision-making has to happen on a daily or even hourly basis.
- Wildfire taint: The smoke taints the grapes and reduces the quality. If the grower is lucky they might be able to sell the finished wine under another label at a much lower price. But in a lot of cases, the grapes just need to be dumped.
Future and Closing Thoughts
The climate is changing. Are we approaching a world where we’ll have to be content with lower-quality wine or a few varieties will just not exist? Or will we live in a world where the top producers will be Greenland, Antarctica, and the Himalayas since it’ll be too hot to grow grapes anywhere else? Give it a thought the next time you enjoy a glass of delicious wine from your favorite winery.
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