Adapting to climate change in Europe

Abstract

Temperatures have increased by approximately 1°C over the course of the 20th century and will continue to rise over the next century at a rate depending on greenhouse gas emissions. Modifications of rainfall patterns show local variability, but most winegrowing regions worldwide are being affected by more frequent and intense periods of summer drought, because reference evapotranspiration increases with rising temperatures. Wine quality and yield are strongly influenced by climatic conditions and depend on complex interactions between plant material, temperatures and water availability. In established winegrowing regions growers have optimised output in terms of yield and quality by choosing plant material and viticultural techniques according to local climatic conditions. When the climate changes, plant material and cultural practices need to be adjusted. Winegrowers worldwide are facing this challenge. In Europe, awareness about the potential impact of climate change on viticulture rose at the end of the 20th century and created a strong research focus on potential adaptations. Adaptations to higher temperatures include all possible techniques (trunk height, leaf area to fruit weight ratio, timing of pruning, etc.) and modifications in plant material (rootstocks, cultivars and clones) which maintain harvest dates in the optimal period at the end of September or early October in the northern hemisphere. Vineyards can be made more resilient to drought by planting drought-resistant plant material (rootstocks and cultivars), planting goblet-trained bush vines or trellised vineyards at wider row spacing or selecting soils with greater soil water-holding capacity. Most vineyards in Europe are dry farmed. Implementation of irrigation is also an option to grow sustainable yields under dry conditions but should be avoided when possible because of environmental impacts.