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Due to climate change, about half of the world's wine-growing regions are under threat. This was reported by Canadian and Spanish scientists and viticulture experts in a recently published joint study in the renowned journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" in Washington.
They analyzed worldwide data and records on the ripening development between 1956 and 2015 of the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Chasselas, Chardonnay, Grenache, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Trebbiano. They combined the results with data on global temperature trends between 1880 and 2013 and drew conclusions about how the varieties might develop as the temperature rises.
The forecast: if average temperatures were to rise by two degrees, the global area of the wine-growing regions would shrink by 56 percent if the cultivation of individual grape varieties were to remain at the current level. With an increase of four degrees it would be as much as 85 percent. The scientists are therefore advising winegrowers to switch to varieties that are better able to cope with heat than the current ones. However, even with an optimal adaptation of viticulture, the team predicts a 24 percent decrease in vineyards. For example, they suggest growing the heat-resistant varieties Mourvèdre or Grenache instead of Pinot Noir in Burgundy. In Bordelais, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot could also be replaced by Mourvèdre.
In contrast, cooler growing regions such as New Zealand, the northwest of the USA and also Germany would survive a temperature increase of two degrees relatively unscathed. They could become a new home for varieties such as Merlot or Grenache.
(uka / Photo: German Wine Institute)