Winemakers in Europe are beginning to take global warming seriously, as fully detailed by a probing article from Bloomberg News Service … Winemakers React to Global Warming by Taking to the Hills.
One of the world’s authorities on global warming and grapes, Gregory Jones of the University of Southern Oregon in the US, who has written twenty papers on the subject, says:
“Many regions are now at an optimum temperature, and further predicted gains of 2 degrees over 50 years may force regulatory changes in countries like France, which has strict guidelines on where certain varieties of grapes are grown. Every single grape variety has its limits.”
He observes that styles of wines associated with particular regions will shift elsewhere. Using an example from France, he asks, “The challenge with changing climates in the future is that, where’s the threshold by which a Burgundy becomes a Beaujolais?”
I hope someone in Hawke’s Bay’s winemaking biz is reading Jones’ stuff!
Around here, the usual term of disparagement for those who are environmentally concerned is “greenies.” Another term is “tree-huggers.”
Maybe Hawke’s Bay will see a surge in “vine-huggers” as this important driver of the region’s reputation and economy confronts the impact of global warming. For Hawke’s Bay vintners, does global warming simply mean switching varieties or planting higher? Or something worse?
Anyone for an English bubbly? Apparently it’s a booming market.
You can read the full Bloomberg article here.
Tom