Tag: climate change

OIV’s 2024 Report on the Global Wine Sector: Emphasizing Adaptation and Multilateral Cooperation

The International Vine and Wine Organisation (OIV) reinforced the importance of multilateral cooperation and adaptation to changing conditions, as global data on the wine sector in 2024 was released at its online Press Conference April 15th,2025.

The OIV also released statistics on production, consumption and trade from all producing and consuming nations (over 180) to create a snapshot of the sector in the 2024 calendar year.

The data highlights the effects of climate change, shifting consumer preferences and geopolitical uncertainty upon the sector.

OIV Director General, John Barker, said that these impacts present a challenge of adaptation for the wine sector, but that successful adaptation would bring opportunities.

“Working together to develop solutions to climate change and making wine a beacon of sustainability; investing in research on new audiences so that we can see wine through their eyes; reinforcing our commitment to multilateralism and global trade: these are the elements that will lead the wine sector forward.

The OIV has a key role as the global reference for vine and wine, uniting 51 countries to promote cooperation, harmonization and knowledge sharing around the key challenges and opportunities for the sector.”

KEY DATA AND INSIGHTS

Decrease in global vineyard area slows

The global vineyard surface area has been decreasing for the past four years. A contraction of 0.6% to 7.1 million hectares in 2024 showed a slower rate of decrease. The downward trend is driven by vineyard removals across major vine growing regions, but a few countries are showing a dynamic of expansion of their vineyards.

World wine production faces climate change

Global wine production in 2024 is estimated at 226 million hectolitres, the lowest in over 60 years, down 5 % compared to 2023. This is largely due to unpredictable and extreme weather events in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres caused by climate change.

New consumption patterns and diversity of the markets

In 2024, global wine consumption is estimated at 214 million hectolitres (mhl), a 3.3% decrease compared to 2023. If confirmed, this would represent the lowest global consumption level since 1961.  This is due to an intersection of economic and geopolitical factors generating inflation and creating uncertainty, as well as a decline in mature markets shaped by evolving lifestyle preferences, shifting social habits and generational changes in consumer behaviour.  However, across 195 countries, wine has never been so widely consumed worldwide. It has also been recalled that a number of countries that combine strong overall consumption with very large populations still offer significant growth potential.

Equilibrium between production and demand

Despite ongoing declines in both production and consumption, global market equilibrium is expected to hold in 2024, as production is unlikely to exceed demand_ continuing the trend seen with the small 2023 harvest. Two consecutive years of low output may help stabilize the market, though stock levels are likely to remain uneven across regions.

International trade holds volumes and value

Export volumes held steady at 99.8 million hectolitres (mhl). Export value slightly declined by 0.3% to 36 billion EUR, but remains at a historically high average export price of 3.60 EUR/litre. Inflation and low supply continue to keep prices high compared to pre-pandemic years (almost 30% above).

How Climate Change is Changing Winegrowing Regions

In a recent study by Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Université de Bordeaux and Université de Bourgogne results were published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, showing 90% of coastal and low-altitude regions in southern Europe and California may no longer be able produce good wine in economically sustainable conditions by the end of the century if global warming exceeds +2°C. The study goes on to show that other regions could benefit: growing potential could increase in areas such as northern France and British Columbia (Canada), and rising temperatures could result in the development of new growing regions in countries as far as Denmark.

Grapes grown to make wine are sensitive to climate conditions such as temperature and extreme drought. These effects are already visible worldwide on yields, the composition of grapes and the quality of wines, with already and soon-to-be-observed consequences on the geography of wine production. Understanding shifts in wine production potential due to climate change is a major scientific concern. Based on their expertise and a thorough analysis of the scientific literature — over 250 publications in the last 20 years – a research team has established a global map of evolving trends in the threats and potential benefits that climate change brings to existing and new winegrowing regions. They did so by studying the effects of changes in temperature, rainfall, humidity, radiation and CO2 on wine production and exploring adaptation strategies.

Climate winners, climate losers
Winegrowing regions are primarily located at mid-latitudes where the climate is warm enough to allow grape ripening, but without excessive heat, and relatively dry to avoid strong fungal disease pressure. Rises in temperature – one of the most emblematic symptoms of climate change – accelerate vine development and the early ripening of grapes during the hottest periods in the summer. Harvesting in most vineyards now begins two to three weeks earlier than it did 40 years ago, with effects on grapes and the resulting styles of wines. Temperature increases, for example, can change how a wine tastes if grapes lose acidity, increase wine alcohol, and modify aromatic signatures. On a global scale, climate change could reduce growable surface area in current wine regions and increase it in others.

If global warming exceeds 2°C, some 90% of all traditional winegrowing areas in the coastal and plains regions of Spain, Italy, Greece and southern California may become unable to produce high-quality wine in economically sustainable conditions by the end of the century due to risks of excessive drought and more frequent heat waves. Conversely, higher temperatures could improve the suitability of other regions for the production of quality wines, including northern France, the states of Washington and Oregon in the United States, the province of British Columbia in Canada and Tasmania in Australia. They could even create new wine regions, in Belgium, Netherlands and Denmark.

Key Points:

• Climate change modifies wine production conditions and requires adaptation from growers.

• The suitability of current winegrowing areas is changing, and there will be winners and losers. New winegrowing regions will appear in previously unsuitable areas, including expanding into upslope regions and natural areas, raising issues for environmental preservation.

• Higher temperatures advance phenology (major stages in the growing cycle), shifting grape ripening to a warmer part of the summer. In most winegrowing regions around the globe, grape harvests have advanced by 2–3 weeks over the past 40 years. The resulting modifications in grape composition at harvest change wine quality and style.

• Changing plant material and cultivation techniques that retard maturity are effective adaptation strategies to higher temperatures until a certain level of warming.

• Increased drought reduces yield and can result in sustainability losses. The use of drought-resistant plant material and the adoption of different training systems are effective adaptation strategies to deal with declining water availability. Supplementary irrigation is also an option when sustainable freshwater resources are available.

• The emergence of new pests and diseases and the increasing occurrence of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall and possibly hail, also challenge wine production in some regions. In contrast, other areas might benefit from reduced pest and disease pressure.

Link to the full report:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-024-00521-5

Sources: Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Université de Bordeaux and Université de Bourgogne

Wine News: Champagne Approves Lower Planting Density

One year after Champagne growers voted to change the needed distance between vines, the Champagne initiative ‘vignes semi-larges’ has been finally approved by the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité, but with considerable opposition.

This means that the necessary distance between rows of vines will soon be increased to 2.2 meters, up from the current maximum of 1.5 meters, a measure which has stood for more than 100 years.

Last year, Maxime Toubart, President of the Syndicat General des Vignerons del la Champagne (SGV) said the apparent environmental benefits of such a move, “it will help us to achieve our objectives of zero herbicides, 50 percent fewer pesticides and 25 percent fewer carbon emissions by 2025.”

Some members feel that the main objective of the initiative is to cut costs associated with cultivation. And there are fears that VSL is paving the way for mechanical harvesting in Champagne.

Though the environmental benefits states Toubart would certainly be worth celebrating, it’s worth noting that the VSL initiative is optional and thus the extent of carbon emissions reduction will depend on how many producers actually choose to replant.

Having said that, a study conducted by the SGV over the course of 15 years in conjunction with growers, Champagne houses and scientists which found that larger spacing between vines could lead to a 20-percent reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions.

The NoVSL collective, which as its name suggests is against the initiative, believes that the adoption of VSL will lead to a decrease in quality.

“Under the cover of environmental concerns they are implementing a business project of cost-cutting,” said Patrick Leroy of the CGT-Champagne trade union at the time of last year’s vote among Champagne growers.

#champagne #champagnelovers #wine #winenews #winelovers #champagnegrowers #vineyards #vines #champagnelive #winetrends #climatechange #winetrends

 

Bordeaux Allowed to Irrigate

The Bordeaux appellations of Pessac-Léognan, Pomerol and Saint-Emilion have recently been granted permission to irrigate their vines this year after heatwaves and low rainfall across the region threaten the vines with hydric stress. The weather in these areas has been extremely dry for months and French national weather service, Météo France, has reported that July 2022 was the driest since 1959.

As regulated, irrigation is forbidden in the region although recent modifications to the winegrowers’ code “The Cahier des Charges” has allowed it under certain conditions. The Cahier des Charges of all three regions permits irrigation “only in case of persistent drought and when this disrupts the good physiological development of the vine and ripening of the grapes”.

Representatives of France’s national appellations body, the INAO, visited the Bordeaux region to review the situation.

According to news agency AFP, “three [appellations] obtained the authorisation to irrigate to try to preserve the threatened vines”. Other sources, such as local news publication Le Résistant, added that the authorisation also spans to the so-called “satellite” appellations of Saint-Emilion (Lussac-Saint-Emilion, Montagne-Saint-Emilion, Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion and Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion) and Lalande-de-Pomerol.

The region is not equipped for irrigation with many relying on rudimentary technology to supply the water to the vines. According to AFP, the Bordeaux wine trade body is pinning its hopes on “two or three storms in the coming weeks” to make for “a good vintage”

#bordeaux #bordeauxwineregion #bordeauxwine #madeinfrance #bordeauxlovers #winelovers
#winenews #heatwaves #wine #bordeaux #winelive

Miguel Torres (Chile) joins International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA)

International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) has increased its collaborative effort to decarbonize the global wine sector with the admission of five new wineries hailing from France, Chile and Australia.

Miguel Torres (Chile) has become the latest silver member of IWCA, and four other wineries from France, Chile and Australia have signed up as applicant members, committed to take immediate action to reduce their carbon emissions.

The total number of IWCA members now stands at 27 wineries, who have joined in the time since its foundation by winemakers Miguel A. Torres (Familia Torres) and Katie Jackson (Jackson Family Wines) in February 2019.

Miguel Torres has joined as Silver Member after committing to become Net Zero by 2050 at the latest and completing an annual third-party audited greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

The winery, founded in 1979 by Miguel Torres, is one of the main Chilean producers of premium wines with 400-hectare organic vineyards and presence in over 100 countries.

“We must undertake concrete actions to reduce and mitigate the impacts produced by our processes. All companies should do the same. Our participation in IWCA is key for us as we will join a strict protocol to mitigate CO2 emissions, adopt actions implemented by other wineries around the world and share information regarding new projects” said Jaime Valderrama, General Manager of Miguel Torres Chile.

The other four wineries that have been accepted as IWCA’s applicant members are Champagne Lanson and Famille Perrin from France, Viña Undurraga from Chile and Voyager Estate from Australia.

 

IWCA has launched two regionally adapted IWCA calculators for wineries in Australia and New Zealand. These tools have been developed in collaboration with Sustridge and Yealands for current and potential members of IWCA to calculate their annual GHG emissions inventories and include the most material emissions sources for typical wineries and vineyards.

 

#IWCA #wine #winelovers #MiguelTorres #winenews #iwca #racetozero #racetoresilience #sustainablewine #eyeonclimate #climatechange #sustainability #climateaction #wine #vino #vin #instawine @iwcawine