Climate change may present particular challenges for California vintners. Starting as early as the 1960s microclimate mapping of the viticultural districts enabled an exceptional matching of varietals to vineyards. Additionally wineries created a market for varietals in contrast to brand names (i.e. Gallo’s old and missed “Hearty Burgundy”) or region or ‘chateau’. The approach has been extraordinarily successful. Buyers know that they want a “merlot” or “chardonnay.” This also means that both vineyards and wineries are heavily vested (and for vineyards, invested) in familiar gallic varietals. Great Story on NPR recently at http://www.npr.org/2011/11/02/141932301/climate-change-has-calif-vintners-rethinking-grapes .
Vineyards in Priorat (Tarragona), with the town of Porrera in the background. Photo credit: Josep Lluis Sellart
The Third World Congress on Climate Change and Wine was held in Marbella about two weeks ago. In addition to higher alcohol content, wine experts are finding wines’ “natural acidity will also be lower, some reds will lose their color, others will lose their flavor, many whites will be deprived of their typical qualities, and there may be a greater proportion of reds to whites. Against this extreme scenario, analysts said that indigenous grapes would resist (climate change) better than imports.”
Source: El Pais.com in English
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Climate change may present particular challenges for California vintners. Starting as early as the 1960s microclimate...
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marviny reblogged this from landusejournal and added:
But Grenache is here to save the day. For all Mediterranean wineries.
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