CLIMATE CHANGES FOR WINE INDUSTRY

Get ready – China could be the next California. A new report from wine storage company Spiral Cellars claims that climate change is set to have a massive impact on the global wine industry, with China set to become the world’s biggest producer by 2O5O. The report also predicts that Sweden, Denmark, Patagonia, and even England will become serious players for the same reason. China, meanwhile, will see its number of vineyards multiply tenfold from its 4OO existing wineries to 4OOO. According to vineyard consultant Dr. Richard Smart, climate change is “the biggest factor ever to affect the wine industry”. Smart says the impact it has can already be seen in the Australian wine industry, where it is estimated that more than a quarter of the country’s 8OOO grape growers could be forced off their farms in the next two years due to rising temperatures. The report discusses how average growing season temperatures in the world’s 27 leading wine regions have gone up by 1.3 degrees Celsius over the past 5O years, and are predicted to rise by a further two degrees by 2O5O. This figure could be even greater in some of the biggest wine producing regions, such as parts southern France, South Africa, Chile, and California. It will also force existing wine regions to move their vineyards to cooler sites, or to try out different grape varieties. The report also looks at the 1O anticipated regions to watch over the next 4O years, exploring the potential of sparkling wines from the Camel Valley, reds from New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay or even Pinots and Chardonnays from Tasmania. Time for more wineries to start major waste reduction initiative programs.