Climate change is an established concern within the wine industry, but a recent study has shed more light on the harsh reality of what’s to come.
The review article, published on March 26 in the reputable scientific journal Nature, analyzed how the consequences of climate change — including altered temperature, precipitation, humidity, radiation, and carbon dioxide — will alter the world’s wine-growing regions. The study modeled potential land loss in relation to the severity of the warming scenario, and in the case of temperature-increases beyond 2 °C, the surface area suitable for viticulture in wine-producing regions is expected to decline by 70 percent this century. That includes up to 90 percent of the world’s most traditional regions like Italy, Spain, and Greece.
The study further breaks down these results, stating that 29 percent of the threatened vineyard land might face climate conditions that are too extreme to combat, preventing any further premium wine production. The viability of the other 41 percent of endangered land, according to the data, will hinge on the feasibility of potential adaptation measures.
The world’s current wine regions are typically located between 30 and 50 degrees latitude on either side of the equator. These regions include California, southern France, Spain, Italy, Barossa, Australia, Mendoza, Argentina, and more. The climates of these places have historically been ideal for grape ripening, but rising temperatures and increased radiation are changing the ripening patterns and quality of the grapes. The study states that in most wine regions, higher temperatures have advanced
