WI N E K N OWLE DG E
Mapping out wine sustainability
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016 was the watershed year that some Burgundy producers lost their entire crop to hail and frost. Across the Chablis region, which was particularly hard hit, it’s estimated only about half of the usual harvest made it to bottle. This was followed by equally devasting frosts in 2017. The raging Northern California wildfires of 2017 were the costliest on record, and spread dangerously close to wellestablished wineries in Napa and Sonoma. Frey Vineyards, for example, saw their winery’s tasting room, bottling facility, offices and 14 of the property’s residences reduced to ashes. Wineries across the world are feeling the effects of climate change and its direct or indirect impact. Some have made
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extreme steps to continue making wine into the future, such as Piemonte-based Angelo Gaja’s venture into cool climate Sicilian wines, or Pommery Champagne’s venture into making U.K. sparkling wine. There’s also the eyebrow-raising vote by winemakers in Bordeaux in July to allow seven new varieties in the region: Alvarinho, Petit Manseng and Liliorila for whites and Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets and Arinarnoa for reds. These seven grapes were most likely chosen for their ability to cope with warmer weather conditions as well as natural resistance to certain diseases. It’s a brave new wine world, and these three regions are applying best practices to soothe over Mother Nature’s wrath.
PHOTOS FELTON ROAD/ ANDREA JOHNSON
A world without wine might be a possibility if hail, frost, flood, drought, pests and other environmental disasters continue to exert pressure on traditional winegrowing areas. So what can winemakers do? By June Lee
