In the not too distant future, your favorite French wine may not come from its namesake region or even from France!
"Climate change will produce winners and losers among wine growing regions, and for every region it will result in changes to the alcohol, acid, sugar, tannins, and color in wine," says Busalacchi, who directs the UMD Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and chairs the World Climate Research Programme's Joint Scientific Committee and the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate. Busalacchi and research assistant Eric Hackert have analyzed climate change impacts on 24 of the world's major wine producing regions; providing snapshots of what conditions will be like at the middle and end of this century. Busalacchi notes that several Champagne houses already are looking at land in Sussex and Kent in southern England as potential sites for new vineyards because as climate warms the region is becoming more hospitable to quality grape growing. The soil type in the region, as seen in the white cliffs of Dover, is similar to the chalky substrate of Champagne, and the cost of land is 30 times less than in France. "Vineyards in higher latitudes, at higher altitudes or surrounded by ocean will benefit from climate change with more consistent growing seasons and a greater number of favorable growing days," he says. "These include the Rhine in Germany, U.S. states Oregon and Washington, the Mendoza Province of Argentina and New Zealand." says Busalacchi who comes from a family of restaurateurs, is an advanced sommelier and operates a wine and vineyard consulting firm.
In both warm and cooler regions, one result will be the same; wines will lose their traditional character. "Taken to an extreme, a wine from the Left Bank of Bordeaux may move away from the classic aromas of cedar cigar box, blackcurrants and green pepper and more toward the full, rich, spicy peppery profile of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the Southern Rhone," says Busalacchi. "Given that most grapevines produce fruit for 25 to 50 years, grape growers and wine makers must consider the long term when determining what to plant, where to plant, and how to manage their vineyards." Building Climate Understanding To aid individuals, institutions, industries and governments in effectively planning for and responding to climate change impacts, UMD's CIRUN initiative (Climate Information: Responding to User Needs) is building diverse partnerships among climate scientists, behavioral and social scientists, engineers, agricultural scientists, public health and risk management experts and private and public sector decision makers.
July 24, 2013 Prev Next |
Climate Changes Will Produce Wine Winners and Losers
Connect
Division of Research
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-1541
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-1541
© Copyright 2017 University of Maryland
Did You Know
UMD is the largest university in the region, with the most highly ranked programs, awarding the largest number of degrees.