|
|
A winegrowers' initiative in Burgundy is observing how old grape varieties from the region develop over the course of the year in the face of climate change. Several French media report this. The aim is to explore possibilities at an early stage in order to give Burgundian wines their usual freshness and balance even when higher temperatures prevail during the grapes' growth and ripening period.
The winegrowers' association GEST (Groupement d'Étude et de Suivi des Terroirs - Association for the Study and Tracing of Terroirs), which was founded in 1995 and today has 120 members, has therefore launched a conservation breeding for old grape varieties. In 2016, eight young vines of a total of 50 historic Burgundian grape varieties were planted in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune appellation, such as Sacy, Roublot, Melon, Gouget, Gouais, Beaunoir, Bachet, Romorantin, Abondance and Gascon. In a long-term experiment, the ripening behaviour of these varieties is studied and compared with that of the current Burgundian grapes.
"To date, the effects of global warming have been positive," Jean-Philippe Gervais, technical director of the Burgundy Viticultural Association (BIVB), which financially supports GEST, explains on TV5monde. The climatic development has been "beneficial to the quality of grape ripening". But in the long term, winemakers fear a loss of finesse due to lower acidity and higher alcohol levels as a result of climate change. "We are simply trying to avoid being caught off guard here," adds GEST president Thibault Liger-Belair, according to TV5monde. "Tomorrow we might need grape varieties with a little more acidity, a little more tension, that might ripen a little later."
According to the news portal Franceinfo, the start of the harvest in Burgundy has shifted forward by almost two weeks over the past 30 years - due to global warming.