Is Global Warming Helping the Wine Industry?
Posted on Fri 15th Jan 2016 at 12:25
It may be something of a taboo subject, but one Italian winemaker believes that the Chianti Classico region is actually benefiting from climate change.
Leonardo Bellacino, winemaker at San Felice, spoke to db HK about the weather phenomenon, stating that due to the increasingly hot summers, the team is able to pick grapes sooner and make better wine: “I started as the winemaker for San Felice in the 1980s, and when it came to the harvest, we didn’t have as much sugar as we would have liked in the grapes. Now we are picking much earlier and they have much better sugar levels.” San Felice is based in Montalcino, the driest of all the Tuscan DOCGs, meaning that the effects of the hot weather are more acute in the region. “A wine should retain the personality of the terroir and not the winemaker. But since we have noticed the overall temperature getting warmer, it has had a big effect on our Brunello. The grapes are better adapted to higher temperatures but then they become naturally higher in alcohol – sometimes reaching up to 16% which is too much. I’m not here to make Amarone.” “Of course we can see the effects that drought has on the vines – we can only irrigate in an absolute emergency. But we have high density vines, the roots dig deeper and hit the water that has been held by the rocks underneath the soil." Whether or not it is a result of climate change, the hot weather is proving to be an asset to San Felice. Of course, climate change is not unique to Tuscany - all vineyards worldwide are at risk from changing weather systems and temperatures. Many vineyards are making plans for every eventuality, including the winery at Stobi in Macedonia. Dane Jovanov, our aenologist and head winemaker, says: "My view for future challenges is that we are going to face the effects of global warming and water scarcity, therefore we must improve efficiency by installing drip irrigation on all vineyard areas and better monitoring the vigor of the plants. In addition we will start planting vineyards at a higher elevation to ensure their protection and sustainability." Whatever the weather, we're always working hard to ensure that we can produce the best crop and make consistently great wines. Try any of the Stobi wines range to discover this for yourself!