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Climate change and unpredictable weather patterns have had a profound effect on vineyards around the world, causing winemakers and agricultural directors to work harder than ever before. Soaring summer temperatures, prolonged drought, unpredictable rain patterns, unseasonable cold snaps, frost, and hail all make it harder to reliably farm the grapes that are made into wine. While vintage variation is generally a positive characteristic, a swing too far in either direction can ruin an entire year’s grape crop. To keep their yields somewhat stable and make the best possible product season after season, winemakers around the globe are now changing the way they farm grapes and run their wineries—from resurrecting traditional viticultural techniques to embracing cutting-edge technology.
The problems facing winemakers are numerous. In Sicily, there has been a reduction in annual rainfall, uneven rainfall distribution throughout the year, and rising temperatures, especially during summer, according to Alessio Planeta, CEO of Planeta, which has wineries in Noto, Capo Milazzo, and Etna. “We have responded by moving our vineyards to higher altitudes and in proximity of forests” to combat the threat of extended heat waves, Planeta says. Although one of brand’s top bottles is Didacus Cabernet Franc, the team is putting renewed emphasis on native varieties like Grillo and Nero d’Avola, which Planeta says are better suited to the new climate reality. In addition, he has started experimenting with new rootstock that is more resistant to drought, and he has implemented agricultural practices like cover crops—planting vegetation other than grapes among the vines—to manage lower rainfall.
Beyond soaring temperatures, the biggest threat from climate change is “the violence of events,” winemaker Count Francesco Marone Cinzano says. “When it rains, it pours. When it’s windy, it smashes centuries-old trees. And when we have a drought, even native plants in the woods die of thirst.” Cinzano, who runs the largest organic wine-producing farm in Tuscany, is currently adapting the way his vines grow to combat increasingly intense temperatures. At his Col d’Orcia winery in Montalcino, he is looking at both long-term planting strategy and short-term efforts like canopy management, which is the placement of vine leaves to offer the best protection, shade to grapes, and maximize airflow. Because wet seasons yield diluted fruit and severe heat leads to dehydrated grapes, Cinzano says that the harvest must be more thorough than in the past, as does the hand selection of grapes, including multiple passes through the vineyards.
Meanhwhile in Argentina, Laura Catena, a fourth-generation vintner and founder of the Catena Institute of Wine, is also facing higher temperatures and water scarcity. “Research and adaptation are key to our future,” she says. “We have been planting at higher altitudes since the ‘90s, where cooler temperatures help balance ripening. We use drip irrigation, and we continue to explore ways to reduce water use, including capturing rainwater and using reservoirs.” Without these measures, the stress from heat and water shortages would reduce yields and lead to overripe grapes, which would compromise the balance and structure of the wines. “Higher altitudes allow for slower, more balanced maturation, which results in wines with great acidity and complexity,” she says.
Vines at Col d’Orcia in Italy
Col d’Orcia
To combat decreased rain fall and extreme weather Down Under, Australian viticulturist Prue Henschke has instituted a raft of changes. She has installed frost fans to mitigate the effects of spring frosts in her family’s vineyards in Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, and Adelaide Hills, and has also planted native grasses between the vines, which also helps to maintain biodiversity and overall vineyard health. “We also apply a thick layer of straw mulch over compost under the vine to help preserve soil moisture and keep soil temperatures lower in summer,” she says—which is key in years with less rainfall. The winery has also increased the space in their fermentation area, which allows for more flexibility during harvest, ensuring that “grapes continue to be harvested at the optimal moment.”
You may be surprised to learn that despite the image of Washington State as always cloaked in fog or rain, “the winegrowing region in Eastern Washington is a desert and one of the driest regions for grape growing in the United States,” says Josh McDaniels, CEO and winemaker at Bledsoe Wine Estates. And although varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are generally drought-resistant, McDaniels is “exploring an array of vineyard techniques and adjustments to help increase water retention in the soils, encourage deeply rooted vines, and push in the direction of dry farming to allay future concerns,” he says. Besides developing a custom cover crop seed mix to increase biodiversity between rows of vines while retaining nitrogen and organic content in the soil, McDaniels has also invested in a new piece of vineyard equipment from Germany that allows him to crimp rather than mow cover crops. This builds up a mat of organic material that cools the soil, prevents evaporation, and further decreases the need for irrigation.
Sunshine is one of the most important components in making wine, but there can be too much of a good thing. “California sunshine is a blessing and a curse when it comes to farming high-quality grapevines,” says Elizabeth Tangney, winemaker and director of vineyard operations at Cornell Vineyards in Sonoma County. With heat as a major concern, Tangney focuses a lot of attention in the vineyard to lowering temperatures and keeping clusters cooler. In addition to cover crop that can be mowed to create water-retaining mulch, Tangney pays a lot of attention to the canopy of leaves surrounding her prized grapes. “Every effort goes to growing a large leaf area that will shade clusters from direct sunlight,” she says. “In the past, it was common practice to remove leaves from the morning sun side of the canopy. Today, we do not remove any leaves that provide protection. Not only is the shading beneficial, but the respiration from leaves helps cool the fruit.”
While practices in the vineyards are changing now, At Veuve Clicquot, chef de cave Didier Marrioti is wondering how all these changes to cultivating grapes will change the final product in years to come. “The biggest challenge is to anticipate the impact of global warming, especially on the wine’s ability to age,” he says. “There is really something we have noticed over the last four or five years with global warming and with harvest starting earlier: We get more maturity, but we have less acidity.” For Veuve’s Yellow label, it’s four years from harvest when those bottles hits the shelves and seven to eight years for consumers to see La Grande Dame, so he’s still wondering if those wines will age differently than Champagnes he’s laid down in the past. “What is difficult about this business is we have to anticipate everything—much more than if you are making vodka or gin,” Marrioti says. “We have to anticipate the impact of harvesting earlier. It can be a positive impact or negative one, but you’re going to change something for sure. What? I don’t know exactly.”
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