According to Olly Smith, Mail Online, “the vineyards are sinking! Well, maybe not quite, but climate change looms large over the industry, with opinions colliding and statistics bent into arguments to support multiple viewpoints. But let’s assume for a moment that our vineyards are in danger – what should we be drinking before they vanish altogether?

You might think that marginal climates such as the Champagne region are the frontiers in these weather-beaten times. And they could well be – if the Champagne region heats up, all that fresh zesty ping that makes its fizz so elfish and bright could become sugary and plump, creating a completely different drink.

Of course, English vineyards producing fizz, which tend to be just a few degrees cooler than the Champagne region, could benefit.

According to Greenpeace’s document, Impacts Of Climate Change On Wine In France, ‘We are on a path towards an increase in temperature of 4 degrees centigrade or even 6 degrees centigrade between now and 2100. Such a climate scenario would lead to the displacement of vineyards 1,000km beyond their traditional boundaries. At the same time, a large section of traditional vineyards, such as the Mediterranean vineyards, could disappear.’

Put simply, that means we could, in theory, be drinking vino from Glasgow. I recently spoke to one winemaker in France’s Burgundy region who complained of rising temperatures, who finds he is increasingly picking early, in September. With a delicate grape variety like Pinot Noir, a rise in temperature could be nothing short of catastrophic.

And it’s not just France that’s engaging-with the prospect of climate change. Australia is in the grip of a drought that has clobbered its crop. Livelihoods are on the line – but the Aussies are planning for the future. Already the focus is shifting and there is a buzz developing about regional diversity and cooler regions such as Victoria and Tasmania.

In Chile too I have found winemakers escaping the heat of the Central Valley, venturing high up into the Andes – such as Marcelo Retamal’s project in the vineyards of Elqui Valley, where the huge difference in temperature between day and night slows ripening and allows the grapes to retain freshness.

Casablanca is already established as a cool-climate region in Chile, defying the heat of the day thanks to a blanket of morning sea mists. You find a similar phenomenon in California’s Russian River Valley. In South Africa, winemakers are looking to new regions such as Elim and Elgin for cooler climates.

There is talk of modifying grapes, but climate change may mean not just a rise in temperature but intense and unpredictable weather. There’s no doubt we have had freakishly hot years, such as 2003, which gave us the European heatwave (and some impressive reds from England). But then again 2009 is reputed to be one of the greatest vintages in France’s Bordeaux, along with 2005 and 2000 in recent years.

A rise in temperature on a global scale could forever change regions such as New Zealand, with its cool climate. Who knows if in the future we’ll still be seeing fewer deft, graceful New Zealand wines and more full-on high alcohol whoppers. Or, for that matter, Chateau Inverness! Start the countdown. Time will tell. ”

Photo from Wine Wine Wine.