992. The Impact of Climate Change on Wine Production

Climate change is affecting grape yields, grape composition, and wine quality. As a result, we are beginning to see changes in the areas where wine can be produced. On March 26, Professor Cornelis van Leeuwen from the University of Bordeaux in France, together with colleagues, published the review article titled "Climate change impacts and adaptations of wine production" in Nature Reviews. In the review, the authors discuss the impact of climate change, in terms of temperature, precipitation, and humidity, on global wine production and consider adaptation strategies to avoid the effects of climate change.

Wine production is currently concentrated in mid-latitude regions with temperate climates, such as California in the United States, southern France, northern Spain and Italy, the Barossa in Australia, Stellenbosch in South Africa, and Mendoza in Argentina. These areas are not excessively hot and are relatively dry, which helps prevent diseases. Warmer temperatures in recent years have led to the expansion of suitable viticultural areas to other regions (Washington State, Oregon, Tasmania, and northern France) and the emergence of new wine regions such as southern England. Moreover, over the past 40 years, most wine-producing regions around the world have been harvesting 2-3 weeks earlier, changing the composition of the grapes at harvest and thus changing the quality and style of the wines.

Meanwhile, it has been estimated that approximately 90% of the traditional wine-growing regions in the coastal and lowland areas of Spain, Italy, Greece, and southern California could disappear by the end of the century due to excessive droughts and frequent heat waves associated with climate change. Although it is possible to adapt to global warming to some extent by changing grape varieties, rootstocks, training methods, and cultivation practices that delay ripening, continued sustainable grape production is highly dependent on the level of future temperature increases. It is also noted that while there are regions that are facing challenges in wine production due to the emergence of new pests and diseases, heat waves, and heavy rainfall caused by climate change, there are concerns about expanding viticulture into areas that are less affected by these challenges due to its impact on natural resource use and wildlife habitat.

Reference
van Leeuwen, C. et al. (2024) Climate change impacts and adaptations of wine production. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00521-5

Contributor: KANAMORI Norihito (Wine Expert), Information and Public Relations Office