Fine wine news

The impact of climate change could affect the global wine industry, it has been suggested.

World leaders are working to stop the globe's temperature from increasing by more than two per cent, but even this much of a rise could have a huge impact on wine making.

"Climate change is something that affects all wine regions in some way, shape or form. It is how areas adapt to this change which is important," commented Pieter Rosenthal from corkandbottle.co.uk.

"It is those at either margins that may be most affected. It is no coincidence that Champagne houses are sniffing around for suitable vineyard land in England."

Indeed, demand for land in England to be turned into vineyards is just one sign of rising temperatures. Decanter.com reported recently tha  land agents Strutt & Parker have recommended that its sale of four parcels of land of 47 hectares should be used as vineyards.

The land in Kent is thought to be ideal for grapes, as there is little danger of frost and well-suited soil for vines.

However, Mr Rosenthal said that it is difficult to predict how climate change will affect the industry as a whole, because it will differ from area to area.

"Where some cool-climate regions may benefit to a degree, giving more flexibility around suitable grape varieties as well as increased ripeness we shouldn't look purely at temperature," he explained.

"Increased temperatures could result in a lack of water in some areas and much wetter conditions in others. Both of these could make growing conditions more difficult."

This was recently proved this year. The 2011 vintage has been a challenging one for wine growers and some regions in Bordeaux and Champagne saw their earliest harvest in living memory, with an early onset of spring, a wet august and even hail storms in some areas that destroyed crops.

It will now be up to wine growers to take changing temperatures into consideration when they approach their harvest, as well as the grapes they choose to grow on their land.

Posted by John Yates