from the would-you-like-the-Bordeaux-or-the-Pwllheli? dept.
Conditions projected to resemble those in famous growing regions of France and Germany:
Over the last 20 years, climate change has contributed to a growth in UK vineyard area – with more than 800 vineyards now - and award-winning wine production, as well as a transition in wine style towards sparkling wines.
Now a team of researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), the London School of Economics, Vinescapes Ltd and Weatherquest Ltd have charted the potential for the sector over the next 20 years. Drawing on the latest detailed climate projections, they have developed cutting-edge capability to model and map the best opportunities for grape growing and winemaking in the UK.
Their findings, published today in the journal OENO One, show how the climate of a larger area of England and Wales is projected to become suitable for reliably growing sparkling wine grape varieties, and how the potential for high quality still wine production is rapidly emerging.
[...] "We found that significant areas within England and Wales are projected to become warmer by 2040 by up to a further 1.4°C during the growing season. This expands the area of suitability for Pinot Noir for sparkling wine production, but also new areas will open up within the growing season temperature suitability range for still Pinot Noir production and for growing varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Semillon and more disease-resistant varieties, which are hardly grown in the UK at present.
"Furthermore, anyone thinking of investing in a vineyard in the UK can now benefit from this knowledge through advice on the best locations, both now and under future climate change conditions."
[...] However, the researchers warn significant challenges remain, arguing that the rapidly changing UK climate requires the industry to remain agile and not 'lock-in' to production which cannot adapt to the changing growing conditions.
Journal Reference:
Alistair Nesbitt, Stephen Dorling, Richard Jones, et al., Climate change projections for UK viticulture to 2040: a focus on improving suitability for Pinot noir [open], Oeno One, 56, 3, 2022. DOI: 10.20870/oeno-one.2022.56.3.5398
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Username on Tuesday July 19 2022, @09:17AM (2 children)
Omg, when did this happen!?
Since the world existed.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by janrinok on Tuesday July 19 2022, @11:08AM (1 child)
True, but conditions have changed over the last few decades that now make wine growing a more feasible business proposition in the UK than it might have been 20 or 30 years ago. That is what is newsworthy.
Meteorological records show that, since Victorian times, 7 of the 10 most hottest days have occurred in the last decade. That is a significant change. Whether or not you believe that climate change is real, or simply that the changes have always been there, things are now changing at a much faster rate than we have witnessed hitherto.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday July 20 2022, @02:54AM
If you're only looking at currently-official records, there's a good chance hot weather Before Climate Change has been erased. Tony Heller documents these alterations; in fact just had a video comparing unmassaged British records. The current heat wave is nothing special.
As to wine in Britain... was common enough during the Medieval Warm Period (which was warmer than today).
https://notrickszone.com/2018/04/02/during-the-800s-1300s-ad-wine-grapes-were-grown-at-latitudes-where-polar-bears-now-roam/ [notrickszone.com]
Wine grapes are a lot more flexible than most people realize, just need to pick a locally-adapted variety. We have at least one commercial vineyard here in Montana, not exactly where you'd expect to find it. I have hardy grapes in my garden, and they make a lot of fruit. Not at all bothered by a temperature range of -26F to +108F. (In fact I need to cut back the pink one, before it takes over.) On the far end of the scale, where I lived in the desert we had several commercial vineyards... and a normal temperature range from -10F to +122F.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 19 2022, @12:46PM
The Finger Lakes region of NY State (USA) is another wine growing region, here's an article that discusses some of the effects of climate change in that area, https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/lifestyle/rocflavors/2018/06/22/finger-lakes-winery-heart-and-hands-tries-approach-climate-change/543063002/ [democratandchronicle.com]
Here's a sample from the story,
ps. for non-USA -- temperatures mentioned in the link are in deg-F.
(Score: 2) by bart9h on Tuesday July 19 2022, @08:02PM
Cheaper wine? I'm all for it!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 20 2022, @05:09PM
It is definitely the case that in some parts of the US climate change has caused a large increase in whine production.
How often should I have my memory checked? I used to know but...