Wine and Climate Change

Climate change, including global warming, is threatening wine production. Traditionally wine grapes grow between 30º and 50º latitude north and south of the equator. These boundaries are being altered, so places that could grow specific varieties before are finding it harder and places that couldn’t are beginning to be able to. Predictions show that in a number of decades, traditional, elite wine growing regions like Bordeaux, Rhone and Tuscany and even Napa Valley, California and Chile could see sharp declines in production. And areas, once considered unsuitable, like northern Europe, Britain and central China could come on stream. Increased alcohol levels are also a result. There’s already evidence of this. It’s scary stuff.