Is delimitation of parcels within AOP areas a way to adapt to climate change?

Abstract

The French Appellation of Origin system (AOC/AOP) is based on the delimitation of zones in which grapes and subsequent wines meet production criteria (pedo-climatic conditions of production, varieties, growing and wine-making practices) expressing the links with the terroir of origin. In other words, wines produced in those zones should express a typicity associated with their origin. In addition, within a specific Appellation zone, only delimited plots are authorized to produce wines from this Appellation. Criteria, including pedo-climatic conditions are included in the set of conditions of production of the Appellation, recognised by law. However, the ongoing climate change is already affecting and will further affect the growing conditions of grapevines, with consequences on the yield, ripening processes and fruit composition at harvest, modifying the organoleptic profiles of wines and consequently the suitability of some areas to produce some types of wines. As a result, at the level of one Appellation zone, some non-delimited plots may become suitable to produce Appellation wines while delimited plots may lose some suitability. Considering these evolutions, INAO (National Institute of Appellation of Origin) has requested a group of experts to deliver methodological proposals in order to take into account the evolution of climatic conditions into the plot delimitation process. The group includes climatologists, agronomists, geneticists, soil science and “terroir” experts, all involved in climate change studies. Based on their expertise, they delivered a comprehensive analysis of how addressing this issue from a scientific point of view. They also proposed some practical guidelines to consider climate change in the delimitation process. Among others, these guidelines are related to the characterization of climate change in the considered Appellation, to the vulnerability assessment of the area, to the analysis of various adaptation levers in addition to the modification of the delimited plots, to a risk assessment of the delimitation modifications, to the involvement of climatologists in the delimitation expert groups and finally to the training of INAO delimitation staff to climatic data and tools management.

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