The new year has begun with heat waves and heat records in Europe.
Something that not only worried researchers but also wine producers in popular wine regions.
The vines are affected by the heat, as the growing season becomes significantly shorter.
- They get stressed by less water.
There may also be more alcohol in the wines.
Many people probably know the Côte-du-Rhone, which follows the Rhone River all the way down to the Mediterranean Sea.
There doesn't seem to be anything further at the moment.
It's unreal warm, says wine expert Alf Tumble.
Apart from southern France, there is also a risk of drought in Spain.
“Prices are going up”
According to Alf Tumble, the heat wave may cause prices from mainly smaller wine regions to rise.
- It will perhaps make people buy from other places.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which is also in the Rhône, there the price will probably go up.
He believes that it can "definitely" hit smaller producers hard.
- There have been many vintages in a row with a reduced harvest for mainly smaller wine farmers.
There are some family properties where you have a small number of hectares.
If you get half as big a harvest, you have no money for next year.
According to Tumble, the heat waves could also affect Swedish wine production.
- Sweden benefits from warmer weather, but it shouldn't be extremely hot or extremely cold, because then it will be difficult.
But nobody thought we could even grow grapes here 20-30 years ago.
The weather a cloud of worry
It is not just drought that is a cloud of worry for farmers, but also the lack of snow.
- I was down in Italy a few weeks ago and talked to several winemakers who were very worried that there was no rain or snow.
Precipitation is as important in winter as in summer.
There is a lot of stress in the vineyard.
Are you worried?
-
I'm worried, but I'm mostly worried about the climate as a whole and not about the wine industry going to its knees, because I don't think it will.
You will find ways to adapt.