GabyA team led by Cornelis van Leeuwen at the Bordeaux Research Institute for Agricultural Sciences in France warns that most of the world’s vineyards could struggle to survive the climate crisis and may no longer thrive by 2100. At the same time, new regions suitable for grape cultivation are expected to emerge.
Their analysis suggests that many of the world’s best-known wine-producing regions could become unsuitable for grape growing if global temperatures rise more than 2 °C by the end of the century. That looks likely given current greenhouse gas emission trends. The regions most at risk include wine territories in northern Spain and Italy, southern France and California, as well as Greece, South Africa, and Argentina. The researchers say roughly 90 percent of currently thriving wine regions may not withstand the impacts of global warming. About 29 percent of established wine-producing areas could face the most extreme conditions: severe heat and prolonged drought.
The geography of wine production is set to change. Climate change will affect grape yields, grape composition at harvest, and wine quality, shifting the winemaking map. But expanding vineyards into new areas could strain water supplies and local ecosystems, the Daily Mail reports.
Researchers say warming could make new wine regions viable in the United Kingdom, Tasmania, and Washington State. They estimate that by the end of the century the area in Europe suitable for grape production could grow by about 40 percent. Wine-growing areas may also expand in northern France and parts of Washington State. The findings were published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
