Champagne is on the verge of extinction: it’s the grapes

New Year is approaching. Traditionally, a bottle of champagne appears on the festive table – an integral symbol of the main winter holiday. However, according to startup ClimateAi, that could soon change. Three grape varieties used in almost all Champagne wines are among hundreds more on the brink of extinction.

Three grape varieties used in nearly all Champagne—Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier—are among hundreds of varieties on the brink of extinction, according to a Silicon Valley startup that shared data with CNN. It comes as the man-made climate crisis is causing warming and changing weather patterns in some of the world’s most famous wine regions, including Champagne in northern France.

These popular grape varieties could become extinct by 2050, according to ClimateAi. A study published in 2020 warned that the number of regions currently growing wine grapes would be more than halved if global temperatures rose 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. According to the UN Environment Programme, the world will cross this threshold this century if deeper and more sustainable cuts in carbon emissions are not adopted soon. At 4 degrees warming, up to 85% of this land will no longer be viable, leading to a significant drop in emissions.

“If we talk specifically about champagne, it is a very unique drink. It requires warm, sunny days to produce full flavor, and cool nights to create that acidity that gives it that crisp, refreshing taste we love. As the climate warms, warm, sunny days may become too warm and cool nights may disappear altogether,” warns Will Kletter, vice president of operations and strategy for ClimateAi.

Global wine production in 2023 was the lowest in 60 years, CNN notes. Much of the decline was due to extreme weather events, many of which have been exacerbated by climate change, according to an annual wine production report released in November. Italy has lost its position as the world’s leading wine producer due to several adverse weather events, including irregular rainfall that triggered downy mildew, as well as floods, hail and drought, the report said.

“This is a very pressing problem. This means more expensive wine, or maybe not the same quality wine. You may not even be able to access some of the wines you used to enjoy. This is the problem we face today,” says Will Kletter.

With the rate at which the planet is warming, winemakers need to start learning to adapt, and perhaps keep an eye on viable, cooler locations further north, to keep the industry alive and growing, Kletter said.

In France’s Champagne region, winemakers in 2021 had their weakest harvest since 1957 due to extreme weather events ranging from extreme heat to early frosts, as well as heavy rain, according to a Reuters report. The report says it cost France a total of about $2 billion.

But France had a decent vintage year in 2023, with good results in the north, including Champagne, the OIV report said, although some vineyards in the south suffered from downy mildew, heat waves and drought.

One of the questions for the wine industry now is whether traditional winemakers are willing to leave their regions and embrace new winemaking processes. ClimateAi’s Kletter said big wine producers need to think about whether there are new areas and opportunities to develop new vineyards and new flavours: “It’s a wine adaptation scenario. “I think this is a great opportunity for businesses and perhaps consumers to have access to delicious wines that they may have never tried before.”

But this is difficult for regions such as Bordeaux and Champagne in France. By law, to be considered genuine “champagne”, the wine must come from the Champagne region.