CLIMATE CHANGE ON WINE

THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WINE PRODUCTION

ow sad for us. Of course I would say that! That said H

I hear wine production is down 25/30% in France in this complicated year! Why? What?

France’s wine production is said to have dropped 30% this year, to its lowest level in decades after spring frosts and summer downpours hit vineyards! The Farming Ministry have said, that wine producers have previously projected that frosts may cut French production by a third. This is clearly not good for France or us!

The weather is changing rapidly and climate change is now affecting our food and drink chain. Lovers of French wine, just like me will probably have to shell out more for it, as scarcity tends to push up prices. People who work directly or indirectly for the French wine industry may be facing job losses.

Environmental factors such as climate change, biological problems, viruses, fungi and bacteria, industry practices and economic constraints have all led to a serious decline in production at French vineyards, with experts saying the situation has become increasingly dire over the past few decades. Labour costs are also much higher than in other countries as the USA.

Wine exports from France amounted to more than 9 billion euros in 2018. That year, French wine exported to the

United States of America represented almost one fifth of the total exports from France! Bordeaux is France’s most famous wine region and the reference point for Cabernet Sauvignon. But there’s actually more Merlot (66%) in Bordeaux’s vineyards overall than Cabernet (22.5%). This wine blend mirrors this and its black- and red-currant flavours and aroma are equally classic.

In 2019, the U.S. was the top importer of French wine, bringing in $2.1 billion worth of Champagne, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, and Chablis, among other French specialities. France’s neighbour, the United Kingdom, was second with nearly $1.4 billion.

Wine exports from France have nearly doubled in less than twenty years. While the total value of exports at the beginning of the century was around 5.49 billion euros, in 2020 it amounted to 8.74 billion euros.

My personal favourite red wine is a French Malbec from Cahors and honestly I didn’t think it was a thing in France! However, France is in fact the place of origin for Malbec, but Argentina is now home to nearly 70% of the Malbec vineyards of the world. Thus, your very first taste of Malbec could have been from Mendoza, Argentina!

Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark colour and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in South West France, though the grape is grown worldwide. It is increasingly celebrated as an Argentine varietal.

The grape became less popular in Bordeaux after 1956 when frost killed off 75% of the crop. Despite Cahors being hit by the same frost, which devastated the vineyards, Malbec was replanted and continued to be popular in that area. Winemakers in the region frequently mixed Malbec with Merlot and Tannat to make dark, full-bodied wines, but have ventured into 100% Malbec varietal wines more recently.

A popular but unconfirmed theory claims that Malbec is named after a Hungarian peasant who first spread the grape variety throughout France. French ampelographer and viticulturist Pierre Galet notes, however, that most evidence suggests that Côt was the variety’s original name and that it probably originated in northern Burgundy. Due to similarities in synonyms, Malbec is often confused with other varieties of grape. Malbec argenté is not Malbec, but rather a variety of the southwestern French grape Abouriou.

In Cahors, the Malbec grape is referred to as Auxerrois or Côt Noir; this is sometimes confused with Auxerrois Blanc, which is an entirely different variety.

The Malbec grape is a thick-skinned grape and more sun and heat than either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to mature. It ripens mid-season and can bring very deep colour, ample tannin, and a particular plumlike flavour component, which adds complexity to claret blends. Sometimes, especially in its traditional growing regions, it is not trellised but is instead cultivated as bush vines (the goblet system). In such cases, it is sometimes kept to a relatively low yield of about 6 tons per hectare. Wines produced using this growing method are rich, dark, and juicy.

As a varietal, Malbec creates a rather inky red (or violet), intense wine, so it is also commonly used in blends, such as with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to create the red French Bordeaux claret blend. The grape is blended with Cabernet Franc and Gamay in some regions such as the Loire Valley. Other wine regions use the grape to produce Bordeaux-style blends. The varietal is sensitive to frost and has a propensity to shatter.

France is of course working very hard behind the scenes, to make sure that the French wine industry survives climate change and other environmental factors! Phew! Might stay a while longer then and lets face it; one doesn’t need summers day to enjoy a tipple or two!

SIMPLY FRENCH CHOCOLATE CAKESS

Here’s a lovely Malbec recipe for you to try out! I know that we often use the standard French red wines for cooking, full bodied and robust (just like moi) but you can branch out a bit you stickler you! Do let me know what you think!

Ingredients

200g of plain flour (sub with GF) 75g of coco powder 1 tsp of baking powder 225g of unsalted butter (Sub with coconut oil) 125 ml of milk or sub with oat milk ½ tsp of bicarb 225g of caster sugar (sub with maple syrup) 4 large free range eggs or sub with two bananas 200g 70% dark chocolate melted and left to cool A dash of vanilla extract 125 ml of French Malbec

How To

• Set your oven to 160/165 c • Prepare your tin • Beat the sugar and butter together until pale, now add eggs, vanilla, milk and red wine • Mix Well • Add the batter to your tin and bake for 40/50 minutes • Cool for at least 1 hour before decorating

Decorate with your choice of topping, perhaps whipped cream and fresh berries? Chocolate ganache and nuts? or simply enjoy it on its own with a sprinkling of icing sugar.