OPINION
Turning competitors into collaborators
A
BY NICK BREEZE lentejo’s largest wine-producing area is also its most vulnerable to an increased frequency of climate extremes. Much of the area currently lies inland in an increasingly warm climate. In recent years the annual rainfall patterns have changed to become less frequent and more concentrated in downpours. This was spotlighted by Dr Gregory V Jones and colleagues as far back as 2005 in a research paper, Climate Change & Global Grape Growing Quality, that identified southern Portugal as being one of the most vulnerable wine-producing regions in the world. After my tour across the region I conducted interviews with a number of producers and also climate scientists with a special focus on wine. Dr Jones was one of these and he was quick to point out that the label of ‘vulnerable’ is now spread much more widely across the globe. With regard to regions such as Alentejo, the symptoms are: “Heat events during the middle of the summer are, of course, problematic. Not having enough water or, during drought periods where water becomes even more scarce, being able to hydrate the vines in any way, shape, or form…” FEELING THE HEAT When the conditions peak in the middle of summer, temperatures of 46ºC may be sustained for a few days. In this heat, it is not just the vines that shut down. Alentejo is also famous for olive oil production and, of course, cork production. Iain Richardson, of the historic Herdade do Mouchão estate, said the heat was weakening the cork trees, allowing insects to come in and finish them off. Having
10 Vinhos do Alentejo
