Climate Change

The BBC is reporting that climate change is leading more winemakers to produce non-vintage still wines, blending grapes from different years to cope with increasingly unpredictable weather. While vintage has long been seen as a mark of quality, extreme conditions like heatwaves, wildfires, and frosts are making single-year production more difficult. To maintain consistency and…

Researchers from Italy have put together a useful paper (pdf) on the effects of climate change on wine composition and winemaking processes, focusing on the challenges posed and strategies to address them. This research is relevant because climate change will increasingly alter the flavour profiles, quality and availability of wines. It highlights how increasing temperatures,…

A new paper from Cambridge University Press examines the validity of crowdsourced wine ratings, focusing on the Vivino platform, by comparing them with professional critics’ assessments and exploring their sensitivity to weather variations that impact wine quality. Using a dataset of Bordeaux red wines, the study finds substantial correlation between Vivino ratings and professional evaluations,…

The OIV’s new 2024 World Wine Production Outlook (PDF) highlights a challenging year for the global wine industry, with production estimated at 227 to 235 million hectolitres, reflecting a 2% decline from 2023 and a 13% decrease compared to the ten-year average. This marks the lowest global output since 1961, primarily driven by adverse climatic…

The Drinks Business is reporting that two leading UK bulk wine bottlers are making a move back to traditional cork stoppers. This change comes amidst growing demand among wine brands for more sustainable packaging solutions. This trend is largely driven by cork’s sustainable credentials, which are becoming more valued by both consumers and wine brands….

In a new study, Adapting and Thriving: Global Warming and the Wine Industry, researchers from Israel Universities look into the issue of global warming’s impact on the wine industry and propose a suite of innovative agricultural practices to combat these challenges. As the planet warms, the wine industry faces shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns…

A new article Balancing act: Managing High Alcohol in Wine by Andy Neather discusses the growing concern in the wine industry regarding rising alcohol levels in wine, attributed to climate change and evolving consumer preferences for riper, more powerful wines. It specifically notes the trend of increasing alcohol content in wines from traditional regions like…

Wine Searcher has an informative article titled Short and Sweet: The New Vintage Paradigm, exploring the challenges and adaptations facing the wine industry in the wake of climate change. As the globe warms, winemakers are have to cope with a significant shift in their traditional practices due to a compressed growing season for grapes. The…

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) has reported that the world wine production for 2023 is expected to be the smallest in over six decades due to severe climatic events affecting yields across the globe. The European Union anticipates a lower output, with Italy and Spain experiencing significant declines due to adverse weather…