Will Belgium become a wine country? How global warming is reshaping wine regions

Low-lying wine regions in Spain, Italy and California will no longer be viable by the end of this century, according to research by various French institutes. But new regions are becoming eligible, including Belgium, the Netherlands and even Denmark.

Wine grapes are very sensitive to weather conditions and the effects of climate change are already noticeable on the harvest, grape composition and quality. For example, higher temperatures accelerate ripening during the hottest part of the summer. In most vineyards the harvest now starts two to three weeks earlier than forty years ago. This has consequences for the cultivation, but also for the taste, alcohol content and acidity.

Geographic shifts

As warming continues, it will have profound consequences for the geography of wine production, according to the French Institut national de la Recherche Agronomique (INRAE), the Center national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and the Universities of Bordeaux and Burgundy. a joint report.

Based on more than 250 studies over the past twenty years, they have drawn up a map of the impacts of climate change on wine regions from Australia to Europe and the US. The world map takes into account the effects of changes in temperature, rainfall, humidity, solar radiation and CO2 on wine production, as well as possible adaptation strategies of wine growers.

Winners and losers

If the temperature rise is more than 2 degrees Celsius, the verdict will be harsh for 90 percent of all traditional wine-growing areas in the coastal and plains of Spain, Italy, Greece and Southern California. They may no longer be able to produce quality wine by the end of this century.

But there are also areas that benefit, at least in terms of their suitability for viticulture. This includes Northern France, the US states of Washington and Oregon and the province of British Columbia in Canada and Tasmania in Australia. And Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark could also become more suitable for wine growing.

More challenges

But wine producers will have to deal with new diseases and pests much more often, the study says, as well as more extreme weather phenomena.

If climate change remains below 2 degrees Celsius, many wine regions can survive. They will then have to switch to more resistant grape varieties, and they will have to learn to be more economical with the available groundwater, for example by planting fewer vines and better protection against erosion.