{"id":33086,"date":"2022-02-17T11:33:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T14:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/?p=33086"},"modified":"2022-02-17T11:33:44","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T14:33:44","slug":"winemakers-are-poised-to-lose-another-vital-tool-to-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/winemakers-are-poised-to-lose-another-vital-tool-to-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Winemakers Are Poised to Lose Another Vital Tool to Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY\u00a0KATHLEEN WILLCOX<\/a><\/p>\n

Grapes are extremely malleable. Plant the same grape variety in different\u00a0soils<\/a>, alter the length of time they\u2019re fermented or vessel they\u2019re aged in, and the taste of the resulting wine will be vastly different.<\/p>\n

But the climate grapes grow in, and temperature fluctuation from day to night called diurnal shift, have some of the biggest impacts on a wine\u2019s quality. Just a few degrees\u2019 difference can spell success or doom for sensitive varieties like Pinot Noir, which needs an average growing-season temperature of 57\u201361\u00b0F to thrive.<\/p>\n

From frosts and heat domes, to wildfires, floods and droughts, climate change\u00a0upends the wine industry<\/a>\u00a0in countless ways. But the more subtle effects of diurnal shifts are also important, if less frequently discussed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people aren\u2019t putting two and two together when it comes to the diurnal shift,\u201d says Greg Jones, climatologist and CEO of Umpqua Valley\u2019s\u00a0Abacela Winery<\/a>. \u201cThere are multiple factors at work here. Many warmer regions are now ripening much earlier in the summer, and harvest is happening in August, when it used to happen in September or October. But cool nights are key to correct ripening, especially in September and October, and without that, the sugar, acid, flavor, aroma and phenolic characteristics of the grape will be thrown off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent climate change research confirms this. According to scientists at the\u00a0University of Exeter<\/a>, who looked at temperature patterns between 1983 and 2017, global warming is affecting daytime and nighttime conditions differently, with greater increases in nighttime temperatures being registered.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past century, nighttime temperatures increased by 1.5\u00b0F, while daytime temperatures increased 1.1\u00b0F,\u201d says Jack Sillin, climate researcher at Cornell University. \u201cThat may not sound like a lot, but that\u2019s a difference of 20%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Effect on Grapes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Winemakers depend on the diurnal shift to lock in flavor and brightness, especially in white grape varieties. Diurnal shifts can also impart higher\u00a0tannins<\/a>\u00a0and more complete phenolic maturity, says Julio S\u00e1enz, technical director at Spain\u2019s\u00a0La Rioja Alta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have exact data, but we have noticed a significant change,\u201d says S\u00e1enz. \u201cGrapes are higher in sugar, lower in acid, there is delayed phenolic maturity and grapes are developing less intense and fresh aromas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Franco Bastias, agronomist at\u00a0Domaine Bousquet<\/a>\u00a0in Mendoza, Argentina, notes that changes in diurnal shift are far from uniform.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Uco Valley, the shift is still pretty nice, around 59\u201368\u00b0F, which helps us harvest grapes with remarkable natural acidity and a concentration of fruity flavors,\u201d says Bastias. \u201cBut in the center and east of Mendoza, many growers are suffering, and the increase in night temperatures are producing grapes with less acidity and higher pH.\u201d<\/p>\n

Resolution in Field<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Winegrowers are experimenting with a variety of short- and long-term fixes to contend with these challenges.<\/p>\n

At\u00a0Clos Mogadar<\/a>, which has 100 acres under vine in Priorat and Montsant, Spain, Winemaker Rene Barbier Meyer says that the changing nighttime temperatures are pushing them to \u201cabandon non-autochthonous varieties, especially the ones that have to be picked early. We\u2019re replanting autochthonous varieties like Grenache and Carignan, and recovering old ones like Picapoll and Xarel-o,\u201d for their lower alcohol levels and higher acidity. New vines are also being planted at\u00a0higher elevations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Paso Robles,\u00a0Daou Vineyard<\/a>\u2019s Winemaker Daniel Daou, who has 170 producing acres in Adelaida, says his vineyards are in a better position than most in the region because they\u2019re planted as high as 2,200 feet above sea level and 14 miles from the ocean. Even so, Daou was alarmed enough by changes in the diurnal shift that in 2017 he developed a three-pronged approach to counter the effects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use an organic product called BluVite to activate microorganisms in the soil and strengthen the vine\u2019s ability to withstand thermal stress,\u201d he says. \u201cAfter a three-year trial, we noticed that it helped lower the temperature of the grapes between 3\u20135\u00b0F during heatwaves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daou also uses shade cloth during the afternoon to shield grapes from sunburn. \u201cIt can make between a 5\u20137\u00b0F difference,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The third element is monitoring moisture in the generally dry-farmed vineyards. \u201cDuring heatwaves, we water in microbursts, sometimes giving a half-gallon or so during heatwaves in August,\u201d says Daou.<\/p>\n

By reducing the impact of the extreme heat spikes on the grapes, Daou says he can maintain some of the freshness lower nighttime temperatures usually lock into place.<\/p>\n

Resolution in the Cellar<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to Eric Glomski, founder and winemaker at\u00a0Page Spring Cellars<\/a>\u00a0in Cornville, Arizona, when \u201cthe gap between day and night closes\u201d at any of the 30 acres of vineyards he works with, he\u2019s forced to change procedures in the cellar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe acid structure gets mucked up, and for our warmer sites, we have to acidulate the wines,\u201d says Glomski. \u201cPicking earlier isn\u2019t always a solution for us, because we want the grapes to be phenologically mature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glomski worries that\u00a0Syrah<\/a>, Arizona\u2019s \u201ctrademark grape,\u201d will soon no longer be viable because \u201cthe acid just can\u2019t hold up to these changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s already planting more high-acid grapes like Picpoul Blanc, Gamay, Barbera and Alicante Bouschet, anticipating their increased importance in blending as well as stand-alone bottlings.<\/p>\n

In New York\u2019s Finger Lakes region,\u00a0Red Newt Cellars<\/a>\u2019 Winemaker Kelby Russell says that, in 2021, he \u201cdidn\u2019t have a frost until Thanksgiving. We normally get our first frost in early to mid-October. We depend on those colder temperatures to relieve disease pressure and kill off pests like fruit flies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delayed frost also impedes\u00a0acid development<\/a>\u00a0and aromatic potential of their grapes. Short term, that means increasing spraying regimens in the vineyard, something Russell says he hates doing, and on rare occasions, \u201cadding tartaric acid because the acid is so lacking. We added just enough so our Riesling could be correct for the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the long term, he says, \u201clow acid can also lead to microbiological issues, which may mean we have to switch up our spontaneous fermentation. We are not looking for malo.\u201d<\/p>\n

To contend with the current state of climate change, growers may have to continue to cultivate higher-acid grape varieties, move plantings to higher ground and deploy a range of products in vineyards and cellars to ensure customers get the style of wines they\u2019ve come to expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe changes in the diurnal shift represent a pernicious problem,\u201d says Jones. \u201cThere\u2019s no easy solution or shortcut, unfortunately. We must reduce emissions drastically to prevent more warming.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY\u00a0KATHLEEN WILLCOX Grapes are extremely malleable. Plant the same grape variety in different\u00a0soils, alter the length of time they\u2019re fermented or vessel they\u2019re aged in, and the taste of the resulting wine will be vastly different. But the climate grapes grow in, and temperature fluctuation from day to night called diurnal shift, have some of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domainebousquet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}