Grapes can grow almost everywhere but the best wine grapes thrive in very specific locations, generally in the regions between 30 and 50° latitude north and south of the equator (this area is usually called the “wine belt”)
Why here? Not too hot and not too cold, just right. This until a couple of years ago when the global weather took a turn.

…i mean most of us like hot mulled wine but in cold winters right? ❄️

Due to the increase of global average temperatures, grapes seem to be ripening faster and earlier, even with 3 or 4 weeks earlier compared to 40 years ago.
Remember those nice fall activities which involved grape harvests, apple picking and pumpkin carving?…well those are quite rare these days as now most of the vineyards harvest grapes them during mid summer. This happened to us a couple of times when we were trying to visit some wineries in this time hoping to take a sneak peak of the process, but it was too late as the grapes were gone.

But it’s not only about timing, it’s the quality of the grapes. Hot means on one hand high level of sugar and alcohol, and on the other hand it lowers acidity and therefore you end up with a completely different aroma profile…basically unbalanced and less complex wines.

“Hot vs Cold” – it can go in the completely different direction, meaning extremely low temperatures during the dormant phase of the vines. If a frost lasts longer than usual, or of it’s milder than usual, it can make the vines more vulnerable and less resistant to other phenomenons.
Famous and traditional wine regions close to seas and in the southern parts of the wine-belt are highly impacted, forcing some wineries to either shutdown, or re-profile and grow other things (I’ve seen now crops of aloe vera 🤷‍♀️)
In one of the masterclasses i attended last year “Sparkling wines of Penedes, Spain”, global warming was highly discussed and the speaker told us that in less than 20 years the vineyard she was working for, will disappear as it is too hot for the vines, no longer sustainable and affordable. 🥺
And you cannot simply pack your vines and plant them somewhere else…it will never be the same.
Volatile temperatures are definitely one of the consequences of climate change but we observe also extreme weather events like tornadoes, wildfires and heavy rainfall which can easily destroy one years” harvest in less than one hour. This is what happened in some of the wineries in Romania last year, like Avincis. We were there 1 week after they experienced a huge hale storm that wiped out 60% of the vines. Only parts of the vineyard were saved due their more strategic and protected locations (ex: bottom of hills)

Soil & water

• vines need special “sandy” and “rocky” soils like clay, limestone, slate, gravel etc. Why? Because they’re great to retain water and give it back to the plant when needed (natural dosage)

• on one hand, in case of draughts, the vineyard might need additional water, a resource which is limited and pricey and on the other hand, in case of floods and too much rain, the high water content in the soil is a “no-go” as the vine roots hate to have their “feet wet” so high water content will affect the quality of the grapes – they usually get more dilluted and might lose some of their intensity, or worse – get sick and die from fungal diseases.

Tecniques to delay ripening

Huge efforts are made by vineyards to delay early ripening, ensure balance and maintain same level of quality (Merlot hates heat by the way) so here are some of them:

• “size matters”… by reducing the height and size of the plant from 120cms to 80cms (this was very obvious when I saw the tiny vines from Spain and France compared to the super tall ones from Germany)
• “eliminate competition” – though it may seem simple but cutting the vegetation between the rows (i.e. grass) sometimes with cheap and organic methods (sheep) can ensure more resources for the vines Also, planting fewer plants per ha and having a more balanced density can avoid the fierce “competition” for water.
• “less is more”… we know that a well maintained and groomed vine means a high quality yield, but in this vase, having less leaves on the plant, can reduce the photosynthesis and therefore slow down the growing process
• “oldies but goldies” by bringing back some of the the pre-phylloxera or “ancestral” varieties..or aiming for more resistant varieties which can adapt better to drought
• getting more “creative” when it comes to water management by finding alternatives like reusing filtered waste water (i.e.Spain) using the snow melted water (i.e Argentina)

Some final and optimistic words: although we’re going through difficult times and traditional wine regions need to rethink and adapt, others might be thriving and new ones opening up (ex: Poland, China, England, Canada, etc)
Remember my wonder when I discovered that saucy Cabernet Sauvignon from northern Poland (Zielona Gora)?

So, friendly reminder to appreciate what we have now and embrace the change.

Namaste 🙏