Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities

The Challenges

- Sweet wine production threatened as botrytis becomes rare - Traditional harvest dates obsolete - Alcohol levels creeping up - Spring frost more damaging with earlier budbreak

The Adaptations

- Picking earlier to maintain acidity - Exploring higher altitude/northern exposure sites - Reviving forgotten varieties - Some considering irrigation (controversial)

The Silver Linings

- Red wines ripen more consistently - Muscadet showing unexpected complexity - New areas becoming viable - Sparkling wine quality improving