In 2019, the Oxford English Dictionary chose “climate emergency” as the word of the year. A pertinent sentiment, climate change is the defining issue of our time. Viticulture, the study of grape cultivation (Oxford English Dictionary, 2020), is highly dependent on climactic conditions. The slightest changes in temperature, humidity, and time can dictate how sweet, alcoholic, or acidic the wine is. These are only a few of the important characteristics that build a wine’s flavour profile.
Viticulture depends on the land of which the vines are grown, grape selection, and harvest quality. Global warming has largely affected the land masses suitable for growing grapes. In Californian counties such as Napa and Santa Barbara, increasing temperatures and loss of fresh water supply could mean that up to 50% of the acreage may be lost (Kirkpatrick, 2011). Further, the United States could expect to see up to 81% of its premium winegrape acreage lost by 2100 (Kay, 2006). As with land mass, grape selection is also changing. Regions in South America famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon risk quality loss due to the changing terroir — the characteristics of the growing region that contribute to the grape’s profile (Oxford English Dictionary, 2021). In particular, Cabernet Sauvignon is a late-ripening grape, however, fluctuating climates may cause earlier ripening and a different flavour profile. Global temperatures may shift by a degree or two, but that degree makes all the difference. Santisi (2011) notes: “colder-than normal temperatures lead to incomplete ripening with high acid, low sugar, and unripe flavors (whereas) warmer-than-normal temperatures create overripe fruit with low acid, high sugar, high alcohol and cooked flavors”. Changes to flavour profiles, however small, can dictate not only viticulturists’ experiences, but those of their consumers, too.
There is no “bright side” to global warming, though, there are benign outcomes to the changing winemaking industry. With temperatures shifting globally, new land masses are being considered appropriate for viticulture. Locations, such as England, which were previously deemed “too cold” for grape growth are now being considered appropriate. In particular, places along the Southern Coast, like Kent, Dorset, and Cornwall (Nesbitt et al., 2016) as seen in Figure 1.
The wine industry is allowed to expand into regions not previously considered for viticulture, increasing both the variety of flavours and the accessibility to wine. Such changes may allow for greater wine production. The rise in CO₂ levels worldwide means a faster growing season and an earlier harvest, as well as higher sugar and tannin concentrations (Tate, 2001). Further, higher growing temperatures tend to inhibit the accumulation of pyrazine, a heterocyclic aromatic compound often found in baked goods (Tate, 2001), therefore enhancing its degradation. Together, these incidents produce wine that tastes less herbaceous (Keller, 2010).
Viticulture is tied inextricably to the Earth’s climactic conditions, and winemakers and consumers worldwide are experiencing the impacts of the global climate crisis. While viticulturists may expect to lose land mass and grape selection, they may gain a broader growing landscape in lesser-expected regions, produce more product, and discover new techniques and tastes. ate emergency” as the word of the year. A pertinent sentiment, climate change is the defining issue of our time. Between hotter summers, weirder weather, and more sugary wine, the effects are all around us. While many of these projections can be expected in the future, we are already experiencing the differences in supply and taste. Now, that’s something to ‘wine’ about.
References
Kay, J., 2006. Now’s the time to cellar wine: Scientists fear that rising temperatures due to global warming will harm the wine industry in Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara counties. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 2. Available at: http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Now-s-the-time-to-cellar-wine-Scientists-fear-2493071 [16 September, 2021].
Keller, 2010. Managing grapevines to optimise fruit development in a challenging environment: a climate change primer for viticulturists. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research. 16, pp. 56-69 [17 September, 2021].
Kirkpatrick, 2011. Will Global Warming Affect the Wine Industry? Available at: http://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/stories/will-global-warming-affect-the-wine-industry [15 September, 2021].
Nesbitt, Kemp, Steele, Lovett, Dorling, 2016. Impact of recent climate change and weather variability on the viability of UK viticulture – Combining weather and climate records with producers’ perspectives. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research. 22. Available at: 10.1111/ajgw.12215. [16 September, 2021].
OED Online, 2021. Terroir, Oxford University Press. Available at: www.oed.com/view/Entry/199605. [20 September 2021].
OED Online, 2021. Viticulture, Oxford University Press. Available at: www.oed.com/view/Entry/224063. [15 September, 2021].
Santisi, J., 2011. Warming up the wine industry. Environ. Mag., 22 (6) pp. 15-17 [17 September, 2021].
Tate, 2001. Global Warming’s Impact on Wine, Journal of Wine Research. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09571260120095012 [15 September 2021].
Wine Folly, 2016. All About English Wine. [Image]. Available at: https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/all-about-english-wine/ [18 September, 2021].
Comments
9 Responses to “A Vine of the Times: The Impact of Climate Change on Viticulture”
Hello everyone,
I chose to write my blog post on how climate change has had an impact on the winemaking industry. Given the popularity of wine, I thought that it would be an interesting topic as it is an area in which we are seeing those changes as they occur as a result of climate change. This topic also integrates wine chemistry, terroir, and the greater societal crisis of global warming. I hope this post can perhaps get people thinking about the future of this dynamic industry.
Best,
Aoife H
Hi Aoife,
I thought this was a really interesting post! I always love learning more about climate change and how it affects every facet of the world. I have just a few suggestions:
1. I found the second sentence of your first paragraph a bit awkward to read. I think maybe the addition of a word between sentiment and climate would help. Perhaps “as”, although I’m not sure if that is grammatically correct?
2. I think it would be beneficial to move your definition for viticulture to your first paragraph. I found when I read the first sentence about viticulture, I had to skip until I found the definition in your post.
3. In your second last paragraph, you mention pyrazine. Personally, I do not know what that is and I think it would help your readers if you define it!
Overall, I thought this post was really well-written and I really enjoyed reading it. I hope these suggestions help!
Looking forward to reading the final draft,
Camille
Hi Camille,
Thanks for reading and providing feedback! I’ll be sure to fix those grammatical errors and provide some more context for unfamiliar readers.
Best,
Aoife
Hi Aoife,
Great work on this post! I have never considered looking at wine science through the perspective of climate change, so I found this post very interesting! Here are a few suggestions I would make:
– I agree with Camille about explaining what pyrazine is and what sort of impact it has on wine. I think that adding a sentence about this can help clarify!
– In the third sentence of your second paragraph, I would suggest restructuring your sentence to improve the flow. You can write something along the lines of “In Californian counties such as Napa and Santa Barbara, increasing temperatures and loss of fresh water supply could mean a loss of up to 50% of the acreage.”.
– At the end of your third paragraph, you cite a paper with 5 authors (Nesbitt, Kemp, Steele, Lovett and Dorling). I believe when there are four or more authors contributing to a paper, you would create an in-text citation like “(Nesbitt et al., 2016)”.
– Loved the pun at the end!
Overall, this was a very well-written blog post and I hope that these suggestions were helpful! I’m looking forward to reading your final version,
Samridhi
Hi Samridhi,
Thanks for reading! I appreciate your feedback. Thank you for the reminder about citations. I’ll fix that promptly. Including a description about pyrazine would also benefit the audience, you’re correct.
Thank you again!
Best,
Aoife
Hi Aoife,
I really liked this blog post as it managed to concisely touch on many interdisciplinary perspectives on the effects of climate change on viticulture. I just have a few comments to improve the flow and clarity of the post:
– I really like the phrase “Between hotter summers, weirder weather, and more sugary wine, the effects are all around us.” But I think it may be better suited for the conclusion rather than the introduction after you’ve explained how climate change leads to sugary wine.
– The figure is useful for the reader, but it may serve a stronger purpose to elaborate more in the figure caption as to why these regions, in particular, are experiencing the effects more.
– I find it unclear if the rise in CO2 levels directly leads to the fast-growing season (by having more CO2 in the air) or if it is a result of CO2 warming the climate.
Overall, this post was very informative and helpful in seeing the economic impacts of climate change.
Good work,
Alex
Hi Alex,
Thank you for reading! I appreciate your feedback greatly. I’ll rework those opening and closing paragraphs to improve the flow, that’s a great suggestion. Your CO2 comment is interesting to me as I’m not so sure about that myself! I will look into it – I wonder if it’s a mix of both! Thanks again for your feedback.
Best,
Aoife
Hi Aoife,
Great blog post! I had never considered the effects of climate change on viticulture, so I found your blog post very informative. I have a few suggestions for you to consider.
1) In your figure caption, be sure to write “Figure 1:” at the beginning. You could also reference your map as “figure 1” in one of your two previous sentences, rather than writing “below is a wine map…” at the end of the paragraph.
2) I suggest reducing the use of commas in some sentences. For example, I don’t think the comma between “consumers” and “too” is necessary.
3) Don’t be shy to add more information to the figure caption! A short explanation as to how the map contributes to your topic (and relates back to global warming) would be beneficial.
Overall, great blog post! I look forward to reading the final draft.
Lauren
Hi Lauren!
Thanks for reading. I’ll be sure to include your suggestions in my final draft. You’re right about the figure caption – I’ll add more information!
Best,
Aoife