On the move? Over time, yes, as the land heats up. The average temperature in Napa Valley has gone up 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 125 years. That's a bit higher than the overall increase for the country. In France they have noticed an increase in temperature, just as the rest of the globe has, along with more heat waves, more precipitation in the autumn and winter with a drop in rain in the summer.
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| Firefighters creating a fire break to protect a Napa vineyard |
Wine grapes love sun and warmth, up to a point. Too much heat during the day and too warm nighttime temperatures affect the acid balance in the grapes. What you get are wines called soft or flabby. Grapes also accumulate more sugar leading to higher alcohol levels.
So it seems premium wine vineyards will have to move, plus different grapes planted in current vineyard locations - varieties that like more heat. Maybe more planting on the east and north side of hills.
California has been in a drought essentially for the past decade. Bordeaux's famous wines are seeing their alcohol levels rise -- as have California wines in the past two decades. I've been in Sonoma County long enough to remember when the grape harvest (other than for sparkling wines) began after Labor Day and peaked in early October. With the drought years we're often seeing a mid-August start. Then there are the wildfires that have been hitting the Napa/Sonoma region for the past five years.
They are experimenting with new grape varieties in Bordeaux where Merlot may be the first to show signs of stress from warmer temperatures. Other varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc will still grow, but the wine's characteristics will be different, often lighter, fruitier, and softer. Vineyards are planting warm weather grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon in northern Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula. Quality sparkling wine is now being produced in England.
Nobody is quite sure what the world's premium wine map will look like at the end of this century.
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