The grapes are off Climate change is affecting wine flavours
I N THE FOOTHILLS of Chianti Classico in central Italy, Elena Lapini and her husband make their way down neat rows of grapevines and inspect their fruit. The grapes are ripening too fast under the blistering sun. Too much bronzing on the vine and they will wither into raisins, turning the wine into a syrupy, unpleasant blend. Getting the harvest date right is crucial for this reason, Mrs Lapini says. But climate change is making it increasingly hard.
An analysis of harvest dates going back to 1354 from Burgundy in France found that air temperatures have increased so much that grapes are now harvested two weeks earlier than in medieval times. Higher peak temperatures have become the norm, with the biggest jump over the past 30 years. Elizabeth Wolkovich, a biologist at the University of British Columbia researching the impact of climate change on vineyards, says rising temperatures are also changing the taste of wine itself.
For some cooler regions, warming conditions have allowed winemakers to grow more flavourful berries and enjoy longer growing seasons. Germany, best known for its Riesling white wines, has become more favourable to the heat-loving grapes used to make reds like pinot noir. Parts of rain-sodden Britain now have the perfect climate to make sparkling wines, giving British bubbly from Kent and Sussex a fair fight against French champagne. But warmer places like France, Italy and Spain have had a rotten deal. Ripening grapes at a higher temperature means more sugar and less acid in the berry, making high-alcohol, honey-like wines.
