NPR on Wine and Global Warming

Heard an interesting 10 minute blurb on NPR regarding wine making in St. Emilion. They started out with the question of what impact does warming temps have on these Bordeaux wines. The answer was basically, "it could be good". I was expecting them to say it makes a fruitier and bigger wine which many like but that was not the response. They said there were things that can be done to adapt and not really change the style. The major comment was you would stop trimming off leaves that are intended to expose the clusters to more sun. Not bad, saves labor and you end up with the same end product. Another interesting comment was that you trim 75% of green clusters so the remaining clusters can ripen properly. Now, with more sun maybe you just trim 50%. Again, less work, more production, and same end product. Now I am a believer in global warming and may not agree with the above comments but it was interesing, sorta like looking at the glass as half full not half empty.
Walt

That was an interesting segment. I liked the bit at the end that said that wine made with this kind of care will always have people who want to buy it (presumable despite style changes).

I've often wondered if folks are buying up land further north than current vineyards, trying to predict where good spots will be in the future. I would think this would be especially useful in Germany.

Text of NPR Story

Interesting article.

So far global warming has on balance had a beneficial effect on European wine; "bad" vintages (such as the three at Bordeaux in the 60s, for example) have become very rare although quite a lot of the credit must go to better husbandry. And so far stylistic changes, whether one likes them or not, are largely man made.

It is quite plausible that wine-growers will be able to adapt up to a point to the warming climate using some of the methods described without the wines losing their Bordeaux character. However that point will definitely have been passed if they start planting Syrah. I would expect that critical point to be reached sooner will flab prone Merlot than with more austere Cabernet.

The point is also well made that French growers are attached to their own land with their first instinct being to make the best of what they have rather than to up sticks and try to grow Cabernet and Merlot further north.

I am much more worried about the future of Burgundy than of Bordeaux. Both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay show their very best in the marginal Burgundian climate and I would guess that the room is more limited for responding to climate change by tweaking methods of cultivation. The best future for these grapes may lie further North in the Auxerrois, Champagne or Germany (there is even creditable wine from them grown right now at the Genoels-Elderen estate near Tongres here in Belgium). Again the same cultural factors may deter Burgundians from moving North.

Certainly since the Romans planted vines there in 43 AD to feed their troops, Bordeaux producers have been through enough climatic fluctuations to be able to roll with the punches and not have to pull up stakes and move north.

I don't know...if I were the CEO of one of these big wine conglomerates, I'd certainly be looking for cheap land that in 20-50 years could be the next Burgundy. Places that are a bit cool at the moment, but share the characteristics of classic grape growing areas (ie warm days/cool nights, soil makeup etc). Certainly we won't have what we now know as German riesling around by that time. Classic Burgundian pinot and chard may be another victim.

I'm not suggesting that every small house and chateau will relocate. But that dynamic could bode poorly for the wine trade as we know it, since the small farmer can't pick up and move, while the large multinationals can invest and hedge their bets quite easily. Look at the huge international investment in South American wines.

beyond the idea of going north of established regions, another thought is that "lesser" terroirs in established regions might become more favored. At least if exposures that led to marginal ripening is the reason for their lack of fame. While I'm not a fan of 2003 in Burgundy in general, I found that there were some nice wines from less well-known places. Maybe if 20 more years of warming occur, vineyards that are now mere Hautes-Cotes-de-Nuits might become prized. Or Fronsac in Bordeaux.

. The best future for these grapes may lie further North in the Auxerrois, Champagne or Germany (there is even creditable wine from them grown right now at the Genoels-Elderen estate near Tongres here in Belgium).

Don't forget England, Tim. There's been decent sparkling made there in the new Millenium, and increasing global temperatures will likely mean better fortunes for still wine production there, too (unless, as some climate models suggest, global warming results in the elimination of the Gulf Stream, in which case Europe should get ready for the New Ice Age).

Mark Lipton

beyond the idea of going north of established regions, another thought is that "lesser" terroirs in established regions might become more favored. At least if exposures that led to marginal ripening is the reason for their lack of fame..

Perhaps. But it's not just marginal ripeness that leads to being a lesser terroir. Look at all the examples of lesser terroir in the Languedoc.

I think global warming definitely has the capacity to change what specific vineyards are capable of producing and therefore reorienting our perspective. But I would also be interesting in hearing how temperatures have changed over the past several hundred years that many of these European vineyards have been considered grand, and how that affected their pricing and prestige over the years.

Perhaps. But it's not just marginal ripeness that leads to being a lesser terroir. Look at all the examples of lesser terroir in the Languedoc.

Yeah, but that's why I said "At least if exposures that led to marginal ripening is the reason for their lack of fame." I had a $10 '03 Canon-Fronsac last night that was better than the majority of '03 St Emilions and Pomerols I've had. Certainly the St Emilions on the limestone plateau mostly did well, but the others suffered a lot from the heat. At the general buzz seems to be that Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac (2 appelations that can indeed have slightly unripe wines in cool vintage) did well. Just as some St. Romains which can be green many (most?) vintages seemed to do ok in the 2003 heat.

Matt Richman wrote:

"I don't know...if I were the CEO of one of these big wine conglomerates, I'd certainly be looking for cheap land that in 20-50 years could be the next Burgundy."


That is a truly horrifying thought, Matt. The succession of Burgundy in the hands of the likes of Foster, Hardy or Pernod-Ricard gives me nightmarish visions of oceans of standardized products enjoying heavy promotion budgets and tweaking to Marketing Departments' instructions. The greatness of Burgundy and most other European wine regions lies in the individualism and rigorous artisan type approach of its best winegrowers/makers.

It is true that Champagne houses and Bordeaux estates tend to be bigger businesses and some of them have fallen into the hands of drink conglomerates and insurance companies. LVMH, to name one honourable conglomerate, and AXA seem to be keeping standards up but I am less convinced by Pernod-Ricard's brands and as for Fosters, etc........