Global temperature data indicates that the average temperature on Earth is steadily rising. This is attributed to, in large part, greenhouse gases such as CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and excess water vapor that absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat energy, a phenomenon known as the "greenhouse effect.”
While the greenhouse effect is responsible for maintaining habitable temperatures on earth, increasing its impact will cause drastic negative effects on the environment. Climate change has a significant impact on plants and the ecosystem, causing concern among agricultural stakeholders about the long-term effects for the industry.
Grapes used to make wine are not exempt from these risks, and some scientists are conducting research into the impacts of climate change on the wine industry.
How Is Wine Made?
Winemaking is a long process requiring close monitoring. Grapes must be picked at the appropriate time in their growing cycle to maximize the fruit’s sugar content for conversion to alcohol. The weather at harvest time is important as well; sunshine increases the available sugar in the grapes by removing moisture while rain decreases the sugar content.
Once picked, the grapes undergo a number of steps to create wine:
Pressing
Grapes are carefully pressed soon after picking, either manually or with pneumatic presses which can be adjusted to provide the low level of force necessary for delicate operations. Grapes are fed in one end of the press and then squeezed by activating the press mechanism using compressed air. Afterward, the compressed air is released and springs pull the press back to its original location.
Fermentation
The resulting grape juice is fermented using special yeasts in oak barrels or stainless steel kettles with heating coils. Growers monitor the fermentation carefully, stopping it when the sugars have been converted to alcohol. Sometimes the wine goes through a secondary fermentation process in pursuit of specific flavor characteristics.
Aging
After fermenting, the spent yeast is removed and the wine is transferred to stainless steel, concrete, or oak barrels for aging. After aging for anywhere from six weeks to several years, the wines are ready for drinking; they are packaged, labeled and shipped to wine outlets.
German Scientists Are Simulating Future Climate Change to Save Our Wine
Weather patterns play a significant role in making high-quality wines. As climate change alters the weather of wine growing regions, it is important to understand its effect on the quality and quantity of the wines. By pumping higher concentrations of CO2 over small sections of a vineyard and comparing the resulting wine with wine produced normally, scientists can predict the effects of more advanced climate change on wine production.
German scientists from the Hochschule Geisenheim University have conducted this experiment for many years at a vineyard near the Rhine river. They found that the vines experiencing higher CO2 levels consume more water and produce larger juicier grapes. While higher CO2 levels don’t overtly change the quality or flavor of the wine, they do create ideal conditions for months and other pests that prey on grape crops.
Climate change has already begun to alter weather patterns around the world. As these changes escalate, they will continue to affect seasonal crops. As the wine experiment demonstrates, doing research now will prepare us to face the agricultural challenges of the future.