The opportunities offered by the climate change

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study. Based on the results of experiments since 2000 at the Institut Agro Montpellier and at INRAE – Pech Rouge, and on the international experience acquired during scientific missions, a global reflection on the opportunities offered by climate change is proposed. The global change is generally considered as a source of major problems, but besides that, there are also a lot of opportunities.

Material and methods. Experimental vineyards at INRAE – Pech Rouge, domaine de La Valette and domaine du Chapitre at Institut Agro Montpellier. Personal whitness vines as a test at a drought frontier of sustainability. Global data collection during international missions.

Results. The opportunities offered by the climate change can be synthesized as follows:

–  the universal nature of the global change concerns the society as a whole and thus requires an useful interest for ethical approach and a redefinition of organic viticulture (see the GiESCO EcoMetaEthical charter);

– the extension of viticulture at higher latitudes in new producing countries can encourage wine discovery and consumption in the world ;

– the search for more temperate situations in terms of altitude or exposure creates conditions for valuing some marginal territories and rural situations ;

– the scale of the change unlocks the path to new cultivation systems : optimisation of management of natural water resources through plant architecture (ie : strong root development under Lyre canopy) and soil maintenance (priority for soil preservation), and control of a qualitative drip irrigation using any kind of ‘lost water’;

– the conjunction between climate change, environmental protection and changes in consumption unlocks the field of changing grape varieties towards resistant to main parasites and qualitative types;

– changes in wines make it necessary to study their typicality and distinguish between evolutionary (basic equilibrium of the taste) and invariant elements (some aromatic notes expressing the ‘terroir signature’);

– the opportunity also exists in the development of new technologies (precision viticulture, viticultural agrivoltaics), original pruning methods (Half Pruning Before Harvest, Second Adjusted Pruning in Spring), new productions (extension of table grapes, new types of wines).