Climate change shifts optimal vineyard production north

Winemakers suffer fully from the impact of climate change, which in the case of Europe is displacing the best-produced vineyards to the north, says in an interview with Efe the general director of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), Pau Roca.

“The harvest in Germany has been very high and of high quality as a result of climate change that is shifting optimal production to the north,” explains Roca in a separate of his commitments at the 42nd OIV World Congress held in Geneva.

“This leads us to wonder if vineyards can be grown in Sweden… and the answer is yes,” said the head of the international organization, who uses the words “mitigation” and “adaptation” again and again when addressing the most urgent actions that are required for current producers to survive.

“Climate change is one of the most important issues for the wine sector, which is based in a territory that includes soil, climate, grape variety and transformation traditions. In this set of factors, if you change, such as the weather, there is immediately an alarm,” he says.

Global wine exports are dominated by three countries: Spain in first place, followed by Italy and France, which account for 50% of the global market by volume.

Next in the list of ten largest producers are, in descending order, Chile, Australia, South Africa, Germany, the United States, Portugal and New Zealand.

By value of these exports, France occupies the first position, followed by Italy, Spain, Australia and Chile, in an environment in which world demand shows a slight upward trend.

Roca argues that winegrowers have been working “for quite some time” on mitigation actions, in particular on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, better water management and the reduction of energy waste.

In terms of adaptation, one of the main measures has to do with possible changes in the grape variety, since climate change can modify ripening periods.

Portugal and Chile have made progress in reducing their _CO2 emissions, Spain is working intensively on water management, since “each country reacts where it hurts the most” because climate change affects them differently.

“All countries are affected, some by the increase in drought as is the case in South Africa; others due to the proliferation of fires, as is the case in California,” recalls Roca, former secretary general of the Spanish Wine Federation.

But not for all effects they are negative. For some countries, climate change is favoring them, but even in these cases they are forced to adapt since their production models are no longer adapted to the climate.

A quick x-ray of the wine sector in Spain allows Roca to anticipate that the greatest stress will be suffered in La Mancha, where the area of vineyards is greater and desertification is advancing at an alarming rate, although it also sees problems in parts of the Levante and Extremadura.

“We must have water management measures, adapting some varieties to the new reality and from the political point of view we must give support to winegrowers,” he recommends.

The Director General of the OIV believes that, despite the enormous challenge of climate change, in most countries the sector is imbued with a “general sense of opportunity”.

One of the reasons is that Asia is a market of great potential yet to be developed. The most recent figures from the OIV indicate that China is the fifth largest consumer in absolute terms of wine in the world and is, after Spain, the second country with the largest area of vineyards.

However, Chinese production focuses on table grapes and raisins, which makes producers in other parts of the world not consider it a competitor.

“On the contrary, it is seen as an export market. Countries with vineyards tend to be very good consumers, but without enough vineyards to meet their domestic demand,” says Roca.

“Encouraging cultivation generates sympathies for the product. If they are countries that do not know the vineyard, they will hardly be consumers, “he clarifies.

Source: The Vanguard