Viticulture: Fruity with a hint of drought
Viticulture: Fruity with a hint of drought
Dec 19, 2012 6
(Nature) - Jamie Goode tracks how our changing climate is sending ripples of disruption through the wine world.
For anyone who enjoys a glass of Sancerre, Puligny-Montrachet or indeed a bargain-basement European blend, 2012 is unlikely to be a 'good year'. Growers will remember it as one of the worst in recent history. The grapevine, Vitis vinifera L., is remarkable among crop plants in its sensitivity to deviations in climate — so much so that wine is proving to be a canary in the coalmine for climate change. Even small shifts in growing-season temperatures show up as marked differences in flavour or yields. And this year, unusual weather patterns in Europe — which accounts for more than 60% of global wine production — have played havoc with that vulnerability.
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