Climate Change in Champagne by Melissa Parker

Champagne heeds the warming

CLIMATE CHANGE IS OF GREAT CONCERN IN CHAMPAGNE. THIS YEAR CHAMPAGNE RECORDED ITS HIGHEST EVER TEMPERATURE ON RECORD, 42.9°C AND LOST 10% OF ITS HARVEST TO SUNBURNT GRAPES. TEMPERATURES IN THE REGION HAVE INCREASED BY CLOSE TO 1.2°C IN THE PAST 30 YEARS.

THE IMPACT OF HIGHER TEMPERATURES IS IRREVERSIBLY CHANGING THE CHARACTER PROFILE OF CHAMPAGNE AS WE KNOW IT. THE COMITÉ CHAMPAGNE (CIVC) IS WORKING HARD TO PRESERVE THE WINE’S DEFINABLE TASTE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF ACCELERATED INITIATIVES AND INNOVATION.

Words Melissa Parker

Harvest in Champagne traditionally took place in late September, early October. For as long as the Champenois can remember, grapes were picked 100 days after budburst. Today those age-old indicators are no longer reliable. The blossoming and grape harvest dates have moved forward by an average of a fortnight.

Chef du Cave, Champagne Lanson, Hervé Dantan remembers the harvest of 1976 like it was yesterday because of it took place in August.

“The harvest of 1976 was a big event because the last time harvest was in August was in 1893, the previous century.”

Welcome to the 21st century when harvests in August are commonplace. The first was 2003 followed by 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018. Warmer temperatures are also producing riper grapes. The downside is the loss of acidity, and the wine’s ability to age is compromised; however, the declaration of vintage years are increasing, and some producers would argue the quality of the wine is improving because the grapes are developing to maturer levels.

For example, Champagne Lanson declared the following vintages in the 1990s - 1995, 1996 and 1998 comparatively in the 2000s it was almost every year - 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Harvest is earlier but also fast because warmth also invites disease. Growers in Champagne are now reactive in the vineyard. Rain often comes earlier and combined with hotter temperatures places the vines at risk of unwanted conditions such as botrytis. The process has become complicated, and it has been necessary for the Champenois to adopt hyper-awareness and presence in the vineyards and play a fast game with our changing climate.

“We all need to be more professional in the vineyard. In the past people lost the sense of nature and the instinct with nature, now we have to rediscover that,” says Dantan.

SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE

The Champagne Region began implementing environmental solutions as early as the 1980s. It started on its path of sustainable practice in 2001. In 2003 it was the first wine region in the world to calculate its carbon footprint and start a carbon reduction plan that included some radical changes such as reducing champagne bottle weight by 7%. To date, it has achieved 50% reduction in pesticides, 100% recycling of all winery wastewater, the recovery of 90% of all winery waste and by-product and a 15% reduced carbon footprint from the production of each bottle of Champagne.

The CIVC has set a target for 100% of Champagne to be practising sustainable viticulture by 2030 and for the region to stop the use of all pesticides by 2025. This equates to all producers recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture as VDC (Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne) certified. Many vineyards are also HVE ‘Haute Valeur Environnementale’ (High Environmental Value) certified because VDC certification encompasses all the commitments required for HVE. The bottom line is Champagne now has more than 600 certified farms, representing 20% of its surface area including more than 180 farms on nearly 2.5% of surfaces certified organic.

The CIVC is also aiming to hit targets in the reduction of Champagne’s carbon footprint in production and supply chain logistics. With this in mind, the CIVC has recently launched a new technical reference manual in sustainable winegrowing practices and certification for Champagne vineyard management. It will act as a guiding tool for growers and houses to meet the targets set by the region.

But there are also other things to consider when preserving Champagne’s reputation amidst changing climatic conditions. Head of Communications, CIVIC, Philippe Wibrotte, suggested some champagne producers are looking beyond the three traditional grapes to experiment with Champagne’s other little known approved varieties. There are four other grapes grown in the Champagne appellation that may produce favourable results in warming temperatures that are presently under-resourced, namely Pinot Blanc, Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris. They account for less than 0.3 % of plantings, but growers in the Côte des Bar region in the Aube are experimenting with these. Some producers are going so far as producing single varietal Pinot Blanc Champagnes. Côte des Bar growers are renowned for being experimental risktakers which has seen a renewed interest in the area. Vineyard plantings in this region have increased by 20% since 2000. Today it makes up a quarter of the whole Champagne region. We also may see higher percentages of Pinot Meuniere in blends given its early ripening credentials compared to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Champagne should be applauded for setting a benchmark and moving quickly to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming. The Champenois are working hard to preserve Champagne’s extraordinary heritage, and are committed to maintaining the provenance of their world-class sparkling wine for the enjoyment of generations to come.

“The harvest of 1976 was a big event because the last time harvest was in August was in 1893, the previous century.”