Lodi in the third week of July 2024: Old vine Zinfandel veraison (i.e., annual change of colors) looking good, but slowed down by two heat dome events, repercussions of now well documented climate change.
Climate change’s global impact and near-future projections
Never mind the squabble over the causes. Vintners all over the world are now living with climate change, manifested as warming of temperatures on a global scale.
The question is, how is the wine industry adjusting to this phenomenon? In France’s Bordeaux region, a centuries-old bastion of wine tradition, authorities have recently authorized the planting of six “new” grapes: Albariño, Liliorila (a cross of Chardonnay and Baroque), Touriga Nacional, Castets, Marselan (Grenache x Cabernet Sauvignon cross), and Arinarnoa (Tannat x Cabernet Sauvignon).
Meanwhile, the University of Bordeaux, according to undark.org, has been cultivating a “living database of 52 wine grape varieties” for the express purpose of researching “new varieties to adapt to new temperatures.” Some Bordeaux vignerons are not waiting for government approval and have already begun experimenting with more heat-tolerant grapes such as Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Nero d’Avola and Tempranillo (in appellations such as Bordeaux where grape varieties are regulated by law, vintners may produce wines from unapproved grapes but they may not be used in bottlings labeled as “Bordeaux”).
Lodi’s Jeff Perlegos, owner/grower of Perlegos Family Wine Co., discussing climate change strategies among his old vine Zinfandel.
That’s Bordeaux, what about Lodi?
First, some definition: Since the 1950s, most of the wine world has
