Climate change could make French wine taste better—for now

Vineyards in Bordeaux, France, like this one photographed in 2016, have typically depended on rainfall for their water, so climate change directly influences wine productivity. Wine experts have warned for years that climate change could result in shifting harvest seasons, lower quality wine, and restricted plant growth. Yet here’s something to toast to: In Bordeaux, France, one of the world’s premier wine-growing regions, climate change may actually make wine taste better—for now.

Because Bordeaux wine producers traditionally rely on rainfall for water, rather than irrigation, there is a direct connection between the climate and wine productivity., a climate scientist at Oxford University, was surprised to find increased rainfall during the non-growing winter season, when grapevines lie dormant, resulted in better quality wine for the following harvest.

And while wine critic scores are subjective, there was a consensus in their opinions. Wood and colleagues collected wine scores from public sources, such as online vintage charts, and 14 wine publications including“We expected the critics to say different things because they’re catering to different markets, with different preferences, but generally, they tend to agree with each other,” says Wood. “People tend to like stronger, sweeter, richer wines.

“The challenges are still very much there,” says Wood. “France is being hit with wildfires, which affects other Mediterranean wine regions like California and Australia, and smoke is really bad for wine. You can actually taste the smoke in grapes.”Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

“Wine is a really climate sensitive crop. And unlike a lot of other crops, wine is about quality and not quantity,” says Nicholas, who wasn’t involved in the research.

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