As scientists and world leaders argue over the impact of climate change and how we can best address the issue, the wine industry is already feeling the effects of changes to the planet’s temperature. Cooler regions producing ‘hot climate’ wines; increased alcohol levels due to very ripe grapes; and dramatic changes in acidity levels are all attributable to the way the Earth’s climate has changed in recent years.
The most notable impact has been on the world wine map, which has been altered dramatically by changes in temperature. Regions that had until recently been too cool to successfully harvest many grape varieties, for example are now managing to do just that.
If the current climate change trend continues, experts are predicting that the wine map as we know it could be virtually unrecognisable within as little as 10 years. It’s not all bad news for the wine world – warmer temperatures are opening up new wine making possibilities to countries, such as the UK, that have previously not fared well in cultivating red wine grapes.
Viticulture is now thriving in England in a manner not seen since medieval times, when the country saw a brief temperature increase that allowed for the successful production of red as well as white wines. Of course, the wine making industry has grown considerably more sophisticated since then and wine buyers will need considerable convincing in order to take a gamble on English red wines – particularly as the recession continues to impact upon the public’s spending power.
It is fair to say that English wines have not historically enjoyed a particularly illustrious reputation and red wine grapes are famously much less forgiving of inclement weather than their white wine counterparts. While the UK has been able to produce some quite passable sparkling whites in recent years, it is only recently, with an increasingly warm climate, that the country has been able to turn its attentions to the production of red wines.
In the centuries around the year 1,000 AD, the UK’s ‘warm period’ saw red wine production reach some quite impressive levels and this viticultural tradition is now being revived in the southern part of the country at least, with serious investment being put into the cultivation of Pinot Noir grapes in particular. But even as the country sees temperatures that are increasingly on a par with successful red wine producing regions of Europe, cultivating red wine here is still far from an easy task. Popular varietals of red wine require high levels of warmth and sunshine if they are to thrive and England still has notoriously unpredictable weather, which has seen increasingly heavy rainfall in recent years.
The main challenge to wine producers in England lies in producing a single-variety red wine. Pinot Noir grapes, for example, are notoriously difficult to ripen and even in today’s climate it is only very occasionally that the English weather is warm and sunny enough to allow for a really successful harvest. Many English wine makers have got around the problem by blending Pinot Noir grapes with those of other varietals, such as the German grape Dornfelder, that ripen more easily.
However, the grape is not as rich in flavour as Pinot Noir and the resulting English red wines have been far from stunning. Much as climate change continues to be a global concern, many English wine growers believe that if temperatures continue to rise at their current rate it could be very good news for the country’s red wine industry, with regular harvests of Pinot Noir and other quality red wine grapes a real possibility.
Reds from UK vineyards have a tendency to be lighter in colour, taste and alcohol than those of warmer climates, but the increasingly warm climate is already starting to impact on these characteristics, with some darker, bolder and higher alcohol wines now being produced in the country.
But even if climate conditions continue to improve for English vineyards, the country’s red wine makers still have considerable challenges ahead. Not the least of these is cost. The country produces far fewer bottles than its successful wine producing neighbours – resulting in a higher price tag. For example, England produces around 400,000 bottles of red wine per year, while France produces some eight billion, allowing it to enjoy the economic benefits of mass production.
White wine production continues to be easier for English wine makers to achieve and that looks unlikely to change dramatically over the next few years. Fast forward a few decades, however and wine lovers across the globe could be sipping high quality, reasonably priced English Burgundies.
Image by Paul Simpson.
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i like to know more about red vines