Climate change forces winemakers to turn to ancient grapes

Bringing back the dead

Lucky for us, there are a significant number of grape varieties available. And interestingly, many varieties being brought back into the mainstream wine scene were nearing the brink of extinction.

In the past, these varieties had been largely phased out to make room for more growth-efficient varieties. In some cases, the grapes were not strong enough to stand up to plant diseases, causing them to be abandoned during the widespread phylloxera plagues of the 19^th century.

Others, though surviving the plagues, were not given space in vineyards as consumers gained a taste for more prestigious grape varieties and particular flavours of wines.

But in 2023, we are living through a sort-of Renaissance period for wine. Consumer palettes are expanding rapidly, making room for different flavour profiles and winemaking techniques from around the world. If you haven’t heard, orange and ‘organic’ wines are having a moment amongst wine-lovers.

This timing has worked out, miraculously, to our advantage.

With consumers ready and willing to try wine varieties novel to them, but not necessarily to historians of wine, vineyards around the world are successfully reviving numerous grapes varieties once thought to be left in the past.

Options, options, options

To do so requires experimentation. Getting them onto the market also requires gaining official certification from commercial organisations.

For example, the mourtaou grape from the south of France is a fruit that has been sparsely used in the wines of recent decades. However, vineyards in California have started to explore its use for red wines, thanks to its drought-resistant properties.

In France, trials are ongoing to boost the availability of at least six climate-resistant grapes. One of these varities is also disease-resistant, which will be important as we grapple with the unpredictable health consequences of climate change.

In Spain, the work of those reviving heat and drought-resistant grapes has helped to boost the number of commercially approved varieties by fifty percent over the last twenty years.

These numbers aren’t just worth celebrating for those who love wine. The efforts of those experimenting with grape varieties signal a lifeline for Spain’s economy, as the national wine production industry is worth €5 billion annually.

It’s clear that, when it comes to winemaking, we have a lot more to lose from climate change than an after-work pino grigio. The livelihoods of people in the industry and national economy of many countries will depend on the revival of once-forgotten plant species.