Many of us choose our wine by grape variety, working on the theory that if we like one cabernet sauvignon, we are likely to enjoy another. However, as climate change takes hold, the grape varieties producers grow are likely to change. Last week, I looked at the white wines we will be drinking in the future and the heatproof varieties that will produce the grapes. Red grapes equipped for climate change tend to share the same characteristics as white varieties: a tolerance of drought, resistance to heat, a long growing season and an ability to retain acidity.
As temperatures rise, some regions in Europe are already starting to allow growers to plant new varieties. It’s not too big a problem in the southern hemisphere where producers can plant whatever they fancy, but in regions such as Burgundy in France, only five grapes are permitted, and chardonnay and pinot noir make up 90 per cent of all plantings.
There was quite a stir in 2021 when the authorities in Bordeaux approved four new red grape varieties and two white. The reds are marselan, castets, arinarnoa and Touriga Nacional. Few people will have heard of the first three; marselan and arinarnoa are crosses of cabernet sauvignon with other varieties and castets is a long forgotten local variety. Touriga Nacional is well known and very highly regarded in its home territory of northern Portugal.
However, don’t expect to see these on the shelves of your wine shop any time soon. Producers can only replant 5 per cent of their vineyards with the experimental varieties, and they can make up only 10 per cent of any wine. They are also limited to the inferior Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations.
READ MORE
Spain and Italy seem to have the most promising varieties for the future. From central and southern Italy, montepulciano, aglianico and nero d’avola all have the necessary characteristics. From Spain, monastrell, garnacha (grenache) and cariñena seem promising. Most of these can be bush trained, which means grown without any posts or wires. Garnacha in particular requires no irrigation and can withstand high temperatures, strong winds, and drought. It also has good resistance to most diseases. The downside is that everything must be done by hand and yields are very low.
[ Why are some wines from the most famous regions so disappointing?Opens in new window ]
Also in Spain, Catalan producer Torres has been researching ancestral local varieties for the last 40 years and is now producing climate-proof red and white wines.
Finally, it is very likely that hybrid varieties, made by crossing vitis vinifera with other American varieties, will become more popular. Grapes such as rondo, regent, cabernet cortis and vidal often have greater resistance to disease, reducing the need for chemical sprays – important in areas that have increased rainfall.
