70% of the world’s wine regions at risk due to climate change: study

nick robertson and the hill

42 minutes ago

(The Hill) – Rising global temperatures could cause global wine production to plummet in the coming decades, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature.

Researchers estimate that 70% of the world’s best wine regions will get too hot this century, including 90% of traditionally best wine regions in Spain, Italy, Greece and Southern California. .

Rising temperatures reduce grape yields and wine quality, reducing production over time. Researchers said the effects will be felt most immediately in already warm regions, particularly Southern California, the southern Mediterranean, South Africa and Australia.

But milder climates, such as California’s famous Napa Valley and France’s wine regions, are also likely to be hit to a lesser extent.

“Climate change is affecting grape yields, composition, and wine quality. As a result, the geography of wine production is changing,” the researchers said in their study. “The extent of these suitability changes will depend largely on the level of temperature increase. Existing producers can adapt to a certain level of warming…but these adaptations will not occur in all regions. may not be sufficient to sustain economically viable wine production.

Researchers say a warming climate has already begun to move grape harvests forward by about two to three weeks on average around the world over the past 40 years. Harvesting early can change the flavor profile of the wine and affect its quality.

Climate change also increases the risk of drought, wildfires and extreme weather events, which can have a major impact on annual harvests and quality. The impact is most significant for California’s wine industry, experts said, noting that California’s wine regions could be degraded by up to 50 percent by the end of the century.

But there are bright spots in some parts of the world. As the production of quality wines in warmer climates is phased out, previously cool regions are becoming more suitable.

Researchers identified the Pacific Northwest, northern Germany, and Scandinavian countries as regions where wine production could surge in the coming decades.

The study estimates that in up to 25 percent of current wine-producing regions, a warmer climate could actually improve production, in addition to making new regions suitable.

The researchers stressed that changing climate does not mean the end of wine, just that its geographic range is changing.

“Without radical adaptation, some of these regions are clearly threatened. Change also brings opportunities, as some regions benefit and new wine regions are sure to emerge.” The research says: “However, these changes are not without consequences, and the expansion of viticulture can impact the consumption of natural resources and wild habitats.”