Bad times predicted for traditional wine-growing regions due to climate change: “Devastating blow”

Climate change will impact the future of wine: 90% of wine regions in Spain, Italy, Greece and Southern California could lose the ability to grow grapes by 2100, warn the authors of a new study. It is true that vineyards in other places, such as the UK and Tasmania, may benefit from the coming changes.

Some of the world’s most famous wine regions could become unsuitable for growing vineyards if global temperatures rise above 2C by the end of the century, according to a new analysis.

But a warming climate, the study says, will boost efforts to grow wine in the UK, as well as in other emerging wine regions such as the US state of Washington and Australia’s Tasmania.

Currently, the world’s leading wine regions are mainly located in mid-latitudes, such as California, southern France, northern Spain and Italy. Other regions that delight sommeliers include Stellenbosch, South Africa and Mendoza in Argentina. These areas are just right for winemaking – where the climate is warm enough to allow grapes to ripen without excessive heat, and relatively dry to avoid heavy disease pressure.

But, warns the Daily Mail, global warming will deal a devastating blow to these vineyards.

The report states that “about 90 percent of traditional wine regions in the coastal and lowland regions of Spain, Italy, Greece and southern California could be at risk of extinction by the end of the century due to excessive drought and more frequent heat waves due to climate change.”

The model suggests this could happen with global warming of 3.6°F (2°C) by the end of the century, which the authors say is currently a highly likely scenario given current trends in greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the study’s authors, between 49 and 70 percent of these existing wine regions will become largely unsuitable for growing grapes.

But 29 percent “will face extreme climate conditions” such as extreme heat and extreme drought, making them inhospitable areas for wine production.

The impact on viticulture will also have a huge economic impact: grapes are the third most valuable horticultural crop in the world after potatoes and tomatoes, which were valued at US$68 billion in 2016.

The geography of wine production is likely to change as climate change affects grape yields, the composition of the grapes at harvest, and the quality of the wine.

While many existing areas will be hit hard, climate change in Europe is projected to “significantly outweigh the losses” in terms of area suitable for grape growing, the study said.

However, the growth of wine production in areas where it has not previously occurred could put pressure on water resources as well as wildlife habitats, the report says.

The area of ​​Europe suitable for growing wine is expected to increase by around 40 per cent by the end of the century, says the report, which also notes that the UK’s area suitable for growing wine has already increased by around 400 per cent between 2004 and 2021 year.

The authors, led by Cornelis van Leeuwen from the agricultural research institute Bordeaux Sciences and their colleagues, published their research in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.

Some existing wine regions will benefit from warmer weather, with the report saying that between 11 and 25 percent of existing wine regions can expect increased production – particularly in Washington state and northern France.

The survival of 41 percent of existing wine regions will depend on adapting to increased heat and decreased rainfall, researchers say.

Adaptation will require changing grape varieties and rootstocks, as well as different vineyard management.

But the authors warn that “these adaptations may not be sufficient to support economically viable wine production in all regions.”