Fine wine regions like Bordeaux will cease to be viable as global warming redraws the world wine map, said Australian viticulture specialist Dr Richard Smart.
Speaking at the 2008 Climate Change and Wine conference in Barcelona, Dr Smart said producers would do well to reconsider not only the varietals they are planting, but the location of the vines as well.
'I would ask anyone with a cellar full of known value wines, have you thought about the fact that in Bordeaux, we may have already seen the best vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon?' he said.
He added that he hoped fellow conference speaker Michel Rolland would elaborate on regions that are likely to produce 'post-classic' wines in the future.
Citing research from sources including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC) and INRA (France's national agronomic research institute) , Dr Smart said there is incontrovertible evidence that changes in temperature of even one degree translate into dramatically different weather.
This implies that many wine grape growing regions would become unsuitable for their current varietals.
Southern hemisphere regions like Chile, Argentina, Tasmania and New Zealand, as well as Northern Europe and even some parts of China are 'lucky', Smart suggested, as there was room for growers to move to cooler or higher areas to plant grapes.
Such tactics would not be possible in Bordeaux or Burgundy.
'If you have loose change in in your pocket, you might be thinking about where you can get some cheap real estate now.'
He also warned against turning to genetic modification as the solution.
'The research authorities have wasted millions on trying to put a cactus gene in a Chardonnay grape. In 30 years, they expect to have a Chardonnay grape that is adapted to higher temperatures.
'But in my opinion, this will produce nothing but Chardonnay-flavoured tequila.'
Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com, making sure the relevant headline is in the subject field
If we can have a cactus/Chardonnay cross that gives us Chardonnay-flavoured tequila, could we please have a potato/Cabernet cross to give us a vodka mix that's more robust than a Barcadi breezer?
Felicity Carter
I simply had to react to the online article quoting Richard Smart as stating that the Bordeaux region will be too warm to grow high quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
It's terribly misleading to make this statement without putting it in more of an international context. Before arguing whether it will eventually become too warm in Bordeaux to grow Ca. Sauv. is should be pointed out that it probably already is too warm to grow this variety in California, Australia and South America, in regions where this variety had only slim chances of succeeding.
Before talking about global warming's effect on viticultural practices, a good starting point would be to assess the current situation. Should Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay ever be grown in high region 2, region 3 or even region 4 wine regions ? The younger generations of wine drinkers will, for the most part, never know what fine, balanced wines these varieties are capable of producing.
Morten Hallgren, Ravines Wine Cellars, Finger Lakes wine region, USA
In France it's the effect on wine growing, in Britain they are predicting the appearance of malaria (I wonder why that's not already a problem in the warmer climes of France?).
In the local paper today we are told that La Rochelle will disappear under the sea and Poitiers will be the new coastline. In that case it would appear to be superfluous for Bordeaux to even bother considering changing its grape varieties!
Historically in nearly all 'domesday' scenarios (such as Europe being unable to feed its population which was confidently predicted in the 18th century) there has turned out to be an element which nobody foresaw.
I wonder what it will be in this case?
Philip Styles, St.Gaudent, France
I would like to congratulate to all organizers, participants and attendees to the Climate Change Conference. Is shows they are conscious and responsible.
I know it is a very complex subject, but it is time to start repairing and preventing more drastic change to our environment.
I would like to know if the industry is producing excess amount of wine that later has to be destroy. If I recall correctly, sometime ago
Decanter published an article where it mentioned that for every bottle of wine produced a pound of discard is left behind.
M. Chavez
I think people need to see the bigger picture here, Richard may be spot on or only vaguely near the real scenario, the fact is a winery doesn't need to move, the vineyard may well have to though and presents huge 'forks in the roads' to traditionalist ideas on wine production founded on experience, tempered by ignorance an enforced by market protectionist zealots. There will always be great places as climate changes for varietals but for those who cannot/will not accept the fact that things are literally cooking, we will be reading about them in history books [if they were any good]. Bordeaux chateaus may not be able to source cab sauv locally in the future to maintain the house style/terroir characters they're renowned for, but the good ones who know what they are doing will find it elsewhere-come on downunder, we are in a constant state of flux regarding grape supply-always will be, and see how we do it. Single vineyard wines are always a risky proposition, but they speak their location and will continue to do so as the climate changes-problem is if that location is now producing flavours that don't appeal because of changed climatic conditions-you're a dead duck aren't you-you need new real estate to re-express what you have lost
Craig Markby, viticulturist, Australia
From text one can deduct that tequila is produced from cactus. Whosever (writer's or Mr. Smart's) idea is that, she or he should reconsider it.
M. Premk
Register on decanter.com absolutely free for news alerts delivered direct to your email inbox, and our fortnightly newsletter with advance notice of what’s coming up in Decanter magazine, offers, competitions and more.
PLUS registration is a one-stop shop for the Decanter magazine Archive and Decanter Fine Wine Tracker.
If we can have a cactus/Chardonnay cross that gives us Chardonnay-flavoured tequila, could we please have a potato/Cabernet cross to give us a vodka mix that's more robust than a Barcadi breezer?
