Climate Change is Making Producers Question the Future of Wine

After the devastating Glass Fire in California’s Napa Valley in 2020, many wine enthusiasts were wondering if the harvest would have smoke taint. Labs were slammed with grapes that producers wanted them to test to make sure that their crops were worth harvesting. BBC reported that 8 percent of California grapes that year were left to rot.

Source: CBS Mornings/YouTube

With climate change affecting the planet more and more, winemakers are increasingly worried about their crops. Warmer temperatures can make the grapes overrippen, and heatwaves and wildfires can completely take out vineyards.

Not only can Climate change affect wine production by making the crops unusable, but it also can change the taste of wine. Wildfires and warm temperatures change the flavor of the wine.

Climate change makes winemaking unpredictable, and the crops’ needs are constantly changing. While years ago, producers knew which varieties were best to grow, how to grow them, and when to harvest and ferment, now all of these are up in the air with the ever-changing climate. Now, producers are racing to find ways to preserve grape varieties and their unique flavors.

Now, the biggest question is how we can make adaptations to the production of wine and what the future of wine will look like in the coming years.

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