Winederland Ep.7: The Impact of Climate Change on Global Wine Production

Welcome to another exciting episode of Winderland! Today, Giuseppe surprises us with a special weekend episode, Episode 7, where he delves into a pressing issue that is transforming the world of wine - the impact of global warming on wine production.

Climate change is significantly affecting grape yield, composition, and wine quality, resulting in a shift in the geography of wine production. In this episode, Giuseppe explores the consequences of changing temperature, precipitation, humidity, radiation, and CO2 levels on global wine production. He discusses how current wine-growing regions, primarily located at mid-latitudes like California, South France, northern Spain and Italy, Barossa in Australia, Stellenbosch in South Africa, and Mendoza in Argentina, are being impacted.

Giuseppe also highlights the potential for new wine-growing regions to emerge in areas previously unsuitable for viticulture, such as northern France, Washington and Oregon in the United States, British Columbia in Canada, and Tasmania in Australia. Additionally, regions like Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark could become new hotspots for wine production.

The episode goes on to cover key points such as the necessity for growers to adapt to changing conditions, the emergence of new wine-growing regions, and the environmental challenges posed by expanding into natural areas. Giuseppe explains how higher temperatures are advancing the phenology of grapevines, leading to earlier harvests and changes in grape composition, which in turn affects wine quality and style.

Giuseppe discusses effective adaptation strategies, including changing plant material and cultivation techniques, using drought-resistant grape varieties, and adopting management methods that preserve soil water. He also emphasizes the importance of local conditions in determining the viability of these strategies and how they can ensure the economic sustainability of wine production.

The episode concludes with a discussion on the heightened threat that climate change poses to traditional vineyards and the critical 2°C limit, beyond which major changes in wine production will be necessary. Giuseppe leaves us with a sense of amazement at the resilience of nature and a curiosity for what the future holds for the world of wine.

Don't miss this intriguing and informative episode of Winderland. Follow Giuseppe on this journey to discover the challenges and opportunities that climate change brings to the world of wine. Ciao!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Music.

(00:15):
Welcome wine lovers, it's me, Giuseppe. Yeah, welcome all.
Thank you for being here. Thank you, thank you.
Today is Saturday. I'm surprising you with a weekend episode.
And it is another sunny day for a new episode 7 of Winderland.
I decided to bring up a topic that is making the wine world change drastically.

(00:38):
Global warming that is affecting the wine production.
Music.
If I need to, I'll go, darling Climate change is affecting grape yield,
composition, and wine quality.
As a result, the geography of wine production is changing.

(00:59):
We will review and discuss the consequences of changing temperature,
precipitation, humidity, radiation, and CO2 on a global wine production and
explore adoption strategies.
Current wine-growing regions are primarily located at the mid-latitudes like
California, South France, northern Spain and Italy, Barossa in Australia,

(01:24):
Stellenbosch in South Africa and Mendoza, Argentina,
among others, where the climate is warm enough to allow grape ripening,
but without excessive heat and relatively dry to avoid strong disease pressure.
Music.

(01:51):
If global warming exceeds 2 Celsius,
some 90% of traditional wine-growing areas in the coastal and plains regions of Spain,
Italy, Greece, and Southern California may become unable to produce high-quality
wine in economically sustainable condition by the end of the century due to

(02:13):
risk and excessive drought and more frequent heat waves.
Conversely, higher temperatures could improve the sustainability of other regions
for production or quality wines,
including northern France, the states of Washington and Oregon in the United

(02:34):
States, and the province of British Columbia in Canada and Tasmania in Australia.
They could even create a new growing region in Belgium, Netherlands, and Denmark. Let me do.
Music.

(02:57):
And so let's go for the key points of this topic today.
Climate change modifies wine production condition and requires adoption from growers.
The suitability of a current wine growing area is changing and there will be winners and losers.
A new wine growing region will appear in previously unsustainability areas,

(03:22):
areas including expanding into upslope regions
and natural areas raising issue
for environmental preservation also the higher temperature advance phenology
which is a major stage in the growing cycle shifting growing ripening to a warm
warmer part of the summer in most wine growing in regions around the globe,

(03:48):
grape harvests have advanced by two, three weeks over the past 40 years.
The results, modification in grapes composition at harvest, change wine quality and style.
Changing plant material and the cultivation technique that retard maturity are
effective adoption strategy to higher temperatures until a certain level of warming.

(04:14):
The last and the least is increased drought, reduced yield, and can result in
sustainability losses.
The use of drought-resistant plant material and the adoption of different training
systems are effective adoption strategies to deal with the declining water availability.

(04:34):
Supplementary irrigation is also an option for sustainability.
Freshwater resources are available.
Music.
The emergency of a new disease and a pest, as well as an increase in the frequency

(04:56):
of extreme events, are other upcoming challenges for producers.
Vineyards can withstand global warming below 2°C limit by using more drought-resistant
grape varieties and rootstock by adopting management methods that better preserve soil water,
such as decreased vineyard density and protecting against erosion.

(05:22):
As demonstrated by several studies conducted in partnership with wine growers,
adoption strategies also depend heavily on local conditions and are only worthwhile
if they can ensure the economic viability of production.
Producers in higher latitudes, or on the other hand, may see their yield and

(05:48):
quality of their wines increase thanks to rising temperatures.
This study confirms that the heightened threat that climate change poses to
the quality of wine produced in traditional vineyards.
It also confirms that the key 2°C limit behind which global warming will make

(06:09):
major changes necessarily in wine production worldwide.
White all right.
Music.

(06:30):
We arrived at the end of this episode seven i know that was a very interesting
episode, don't you think?
Well, I'm amazed by what Mother Nature preserves for us every year in many ways.
So follow me and discover what our next adventure will be. Ciao!

(06:53):
Music.