In some wine regions, such as Germany, increased temperatures mean great vintages for winemakers who are accustomed to cold and struggling seasons. The winemakers express a feeling of collective gratitude for being able to make such beautiful rieslings, despite the fact that what it means to be a "Kabinett" has changed quite drastically over the last few decades. Other wine regions that are closer to the poles also feel the benefits of Global Warming-- Champagne and England, for instance, have had some beautiful recent vintages. Compare this with Australia, where the last ten years have brought severe weather conditions including droughts, heavy rains, and temperature spikes. Or look to New Zealand, which sits directly under a hole in the ozone layer. Here, winegrowers must protect their grapes and themselves from intense UV radiation. In emerging regions, like some US states and South American growing areas, there is no historical record of comparison, so the issue is not as intense. But in regions with centuries of history, Global Warming is threatening the fabric of tradition. In Bordeaux, heartier grape varieties are becoming a higher percentage of the blend; in Burgundy, warm-loving insects and nematodes are coming up from the Rhone and decimating vineyards.
And what about the part of winemaking that is often overlooked? Microbiology is also affected by warmer temperatures. For winemakers using natural yeast fermentations, the spectrum of yeast strains in the vineyard and winery will be different in higher temperature ranges, leading to different aromas in wine. The microbiology in the soil and on the vine will also be different, affecting growth, plant health, and in some cases ripening.
Climate Change has also been accompanied by great technological innovation, so warmer climates have the ability to do cold ferments and control fermentation issues better than in the past-- this, in a way mitigates some of the vinification issues of warm-climate winemaking, but these technical innovations do not make much of a difference in the vineyard. Vineyard managers, however, are experimenting with new training methods, which can help fight changing conditions.
Here are a few thoughts about Climate Change from people around the globe:
Hanno Zilliken of Zilliken (Saar, Mosel, Germany)
"In the last decade, nature has been so generous. We are in a lucky position with Global Warming, and with stronger work in the vineyard plus the rising temperatures we are getting great wines. In the last ten years, sometimes we use Spatlese, even Auslese material for the basic wine." (Zilliken 2013)
Jan Eymael of Pfeffingen (Pfalz, Germany)
"When I started making wine people said 'Never pick riesling before mid-October.' Now, we pick in late September. Now, we have cooler years here and there, but you do see a trend of the climate getting warmer and warmer. You see the character or riesling change. We have started vineyard methods to hold back the ripeness." (Eymael 2013)
Chateau Gruaud Larose (Bordeaux, France)
Their plantings are primarily cabernet sauvignon, followed by merlot, cabernet franc, and tiny parcels of petit verdot and malbec. The blend very roughly follows this ratio, but is subject to change depending on the fruit quality of any given year. At Gruaud Larose they currently love the effect that a particular low-yeilding petit verdot clone has on the blend, and are in the process of changing the ratio of plantings by increasing petit verdot from 3% to 6%. Though it is just a dream at this stage, they wonder what effect carmenere (which has been in exile in Chile for some time) would have on the blend if it were brought back home to Bordeaux-- especially in the wake of global warming, which in recent years has had an effect on the ripening of certain varietals.
At Chateau de la Gardine in the southern Rhone Valley, they have had to change their viticulture practices to conform to the hotter climate.
"What we have really noticed with Global Warming is that pests from the Mediterrnean are migrating northward. We have never had to deal with the glassy-winged sharpshooter that carries Pierce's disease before, but now it can survive in the Mosel."
"In Burgundy we are dealing with new bugs that are coming to us from the Rhone. Nematoads in particular are a big problem. They can decimate whole chunks of vineyards."
"Ten years ago, people were talking about Global Warming. Now, the discussion is more about Climate Change. We've been influenced recently by weather changes resulting from currents."
Dean Hewitson of Hewitson (Barossa, Australia)
Dean has had to deal with so wild temperature and climate conditions since his first vintage in 1998. He notes that the effects of La Nina and El Nino have greatly affected Australia's winegrowing conditions in certain years. See an overview of these vintages and temperature ranges here.
Eymael, Jan. (2013) Personal Communication during a Winery Visit. 3 May 2013.
Hewitson, Dean. Personal Communication in NYC. March 2013.
Klein, Erinn. (2013) Personal Communication in NYC. 1 November 2013.
Selbach, Johannes. (2013) Personal Communication in NYC. July 2013.
Wasserman, Peter. (2013) I'll Drink to That Podcast- Levi Dalton Interviews Peter Wasserman. 15 September 2013.
Zilliken, Hanno. (2013) Personal Communication during a Winery Visit. 30 April 2013.