Grapes hit a “hot limit” where photosynthesis shuts down. Indeed, studies have predicted that, within 35 years, over 80 per cent of the present vineyards in France, Italy and Spain, and three quarters in Australia, will no longer be able to grow suitable grapes.
I think I call bollocks on that. For grapes are grown in Algeria currently and wine made from them.
I have a feeling that a great deal is hanging on that word “suitable” but that’s the one word that will get left out when people start shouting about it.
Perfectly willing to believe that some people will have to change the variety of grapes they grow in a certain area but that’s rather different from being able to grow none. Vines grow currently from that Algeria to, to my direct knowledge, Northern Bohemia. A 2 oC average global temperature change is not going to change that.
Didn’t Algeria notoriously make a rather rough fake claret? Be interesting to know what grapes they used.
They can just relocate to Britain with all their finance guys and entrepreneurs.
If global warming continues at the same rate we’ve seen over the last 20 years, temperatures will be … err, almost exactly the same as they are today.
That’s why this is bollocks!
Oh, and then there’s variety selection, altitude, aspect, canopy management, irrigation …
They’ve also conveniently forgotten that many formerly crap areas will start making great wine. #yay – go Nyetimber
I was wondering what had happened to the Telegraph and the recent flood of shit GW articles, but then Gaiaism is a movement of the upper and upper middle classes, so it makes sense for the T to favour it.
Ahh, but, as the man said in the Telegraph 20 years ago, by 2010 they’ll be growing claret in Newcastle, because it’ll be too hot in France…
“studies have predicted”
Show me.
South Africa has also been pushing the temperature boundaries for grapes and wine by irrigation in the desert along the Orange River where summer temperatures are regularly over 40C in summer.
Sorry tautology, tablet, no reading specs!
There’s a lot of money being invested in wine. It makes sense to talk up impending scarcity just in case people stop buying the idea that the Chinese are all going to want to drink the fuck out of the good stuff at a level far in excess of production.
So in fifty years time I’ll have to swap my bottle of Sidi Brahim for a butt of Malmsey. Oh dear! Let’s panic now before it’s too late.
“I was wondering what had happened to the Telegraph and the recent flood of shit GW articles,”
I know one should play the content rather than the man, but this is written by Geoffrey Lean – I’ve never seen anything even half coherent on climate from that guy?
I for one look forward to new varieties of Siberian wine.
Lean is a joke. But re comments, I have had Russian wine (not Siberian) which was quite good, and I read that China now has half a million hectares under vine (three times Australia’s area) and is sixth in international league table for production. I don’t think there’ll be a shortage of wine when the Chinese get their act completely together.
mike fowle,
When I did some work in China about 15 years ago Great Wall wine at the top end was quite passable. I suspect that its even better now because the Chinese are quite good at stuff when they put their minds to it.
Ljh – “South Africa has also been pushing the temperature boundaries for grapes and wine by irrigation in the desert along the Orange River where summer temperatures are regularly over 40C in summer.”
Jacobs Creek is grown in the middle of a semi-desert region where summer temperatures are regularly over 40C. It is hardly a rare exotic on British supermarket shelves.
mike fowle – “I have had Russian wine (not Siberian) which was quite good, and I read that China now has half a million hectares under vine (three times Australia’s area) and is sixth in international league table for production.”
China produces “ice wine” in the far north of the country – along the Siberian border. Never drank it though. Not sure even where you would go to find it. But grow it they do. As do Canadians in Ontario.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_wine
Perhaps just another excuse from the French used-to-be-winemakers. They’ll just have to move up North.