Mesures et modélisation de la variabilité climatique à l'échelle des vignobles de Nouvelle-Zélande

Abstract

"The wine industry is highly sensitive to variations in weather and climate, which can significantly affect both the quantity and quality of wine produced in a given year” (Trought 2005). An interdisciplinary research programme is underway, applying climate measurement and modelling techniques at high resolution in key wine-producing regions of New Zealand to evaluate the risks posed by short and longer-term climate variability. These atmospheric models will be integrated with new phenological and crop models to help develop appropriate adaptation strategies to ensure long-term sustainability of the industry. Grapevines have been planted commercially in New Zealand since the Europeans arrived in the 1800s, but the local wine industry has only become internationally recognised over the last few decades. There are few long-term climate stations located in New Zealand vineyard regions so that investigation of the relationship between climate variability and viticulture has been limited. The complex terrain of New Zealand creates significant variability in local and regional climates that has provided favourable locations for production of quality wine, but also presented challenges for selecting good sites for vineyards and for assessing climate risks, such as frost.