terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Climate and the evolving mix of grape varieties in Australia’s wine regions

Climate and the evolving mix of grape varieties in Australia’s wine regions

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the changing mix of winegrape varieties in Australia so as to address the question: In the light of key climate indicators and predictions of further climate change, how appropriate are the grape varieties currently planted in Australia’s wine regions? To achieve this, regions are classified into zones according to each region’s climate variables, particularly average growing season temperature (GST), leaving aside within-region variations in climates. Five different climatic classifications are reported. Using projections of GSTs for the mid- and late 21st century, the extent to which each region is projected to move from its current zone classification to a warmer one is reported. Also shown is the changing proportion of each of 21 key varieties grown in a GST zone considered to be optimal for premium winegrape production. Together these indicators strengthen earlier suggestions that the mix of varieties may be currently less than ideal in many Australian wine regions, and would become even less so in coming decades if that mix was not altered in the anticipation of climate change. That is, grape varieties in many (especially the warmest) regions will have to keep changing, or wineries will have to seek fruit from higher latitudes or elevations if they wish to retain their current mix of varieties and wine styles.

DOI:

Publication date: May 31, 2022

Issue: Terclim 2022

Type: Article

Authors

Kym Anderson1, Gregory Jones2, German Puga3 and Richard Smart4

1,3Wine Economics Research Centre, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
2Abacela Vineyards and Winery, Roseburg OR, United States
3Centre for Global Food and Resources, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
4Smart Viticulture, Greenvale Vic, Australia

Contact the author

Keywords

adaptation to climate change, Australia’s viticulture, climatic classifications, winegrape varieties

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terclim 2022

Citation

Related articles…

Have the best Bordeaux wines been drunk already? A reflection on the transient nature of terroir, using case study Australia

Aim:  The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the meaning of terroir should be regarded as transient. This is because climate, one of the principal components of terroir, is changing with time, and can no longer be assumed to be constant with fluctuations about a mean. This is due to the climate crisis.

Cordon height and deficit irrigation practices interact to affect yield and fruit quality of Cabernet Sauvignon and petite Sirah grown in a hot climate

Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah are the top red wine cultivars in CA, however, the hot climate in Fresno is not ideal for red Vitis Vinifera, particularly for berry color development. Mechanical pruning and irrigation were studied previously to significantly affect grapevine yield performance and berry quality. But there is lack of studies on cordon height and irrigation on mechanical pruned vineyard system.

Viticultural landscape: history of a challenging coexistence between grapevines and humans 

Vitis vinifera is the most grown grapevine species, which originated about 6 million years ago in the trans-caucasian area as the ancestral (wild) type v. Vinifera spp. Sylvestris. On the other hand, the human being (homo sapiens) is much younger since he originated about 300.000 years ago in north africa.

THE ROLE OF CELL WALL POLYSACCHARIDES IN THE EXTRACTION OF ANTHOCYANINS AND TANNINS: RESULTS, PERSPECTIVES OF A MORE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION

The composition of grape berry cell walls was studied on two grape varieties, two years and two maturation levels at the same time as the extraction of anthocyanins and tannins. The chemical composition of skins, seeds, and pulps, focused on polyphenols and polysaccharides, was compared to the chemical composition in polyphenols after extraction from the skins in model solutions or after wine making of the berries. Polyphenols were mainly characterized by UPLC-MS and HPLC-SEC. Polysaccharides were characterized by analysis of the neutral sugar compositions, and also by the CoMPP (comprehensive micropolymer profiling) analysis, a new method which targets the functional groups of cell wall polysaccharides.

Observed climatic trends in South African wine regions and potential implications for viticulture

Irrigation of vineyards is a matter of controversial arguments at areas of high quality wine production. Besides, the effects of the water in the plant are closer related to the water availability than to the irrigation regime.