Climate Change Conference: what stood out?

The “Climate Change in Spain,” was a rather emotional panel. Amongst the six scientists was a guy Santiago Minguez, who I likened to the bully Ming from Flash Gordon. Minguez, who directs the enology program at INCAVI and is president of the enology commission for the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) berated those who water their ‘little gardens’ at their beach homes but who also cry out against grape irrigation. (If he had said watered their lawn I’d have had more sympathy for his point of view). He fumed at the EU’s stupidity for not allowing the Spanish wine industry to "adjust for global warming." Minguez was jonesing for alcohol removal from either spinning cone, electrodyalisis or reverse osmosis. Presently, high end wines are allowed alcohol removal from wine on an 'experimental basis." It’s amazing how many people are experimenting for years. He also railed, "Get over it, in a few years everything we eat will be genetically modified." It was as if he was yelling at the audience to take their cod liver oil and stop complaining. During the Q&A one question was posed; couldn’t biodynamics and organics help the grape situation? In conferences dominated by scientists, biodynamics in particular provokes sneers, but Jose Ramon Lissarague a professor of viticulture in Madrid said he agreed. His response drew applause. In that lion's den, his agreement seemed brave. In subsequent panels, I listened to scientist after scientist looking for answers to global warming solely in technology. During the days I remembered ancient history: when I was in school, like from 1st grade on, I wouldn't raise my hand with the answer, often correct, because I thought it was so obvious, I had to be wrong. I’m not saying I have the answers to the rising wine alcohols, or shriveled grapes, or the difficulty of growing grapes with out adequate water, but on the other hand, I really don’t think I’m so far out in left field. New World wisdom tries to defy nature. Plant any grape where you want and use technology to deal with the consequences. Irrigate, change rootstock and trellising.Grow grapes so ripe that you need technology to bring it down into something drinkable. This simply has no logic. In any relationship, man and grape or man and man (or woman) if you force a situation, more often than not viticultural or emotional disaster follows. Global warming might transform Burgundy into a hot climate from a cool one. La Romanee Conti might cease to become the spot for stunning Burgundy. But, consider also that LRC has been around since the Middle Ages when the globe went through another extreme warming stage and had a reputation for gorgeous grapes and wine. Change is about to happen. That seems obvious. But the very nature of the Global Warming message was diminished because scientists (except Ming) repeated that what is at danger is the kind of wines the market is demanding now: big, bold and to me not beautiful. So even though winemakers will be dealing with more challenges, I came to suspect that the vignerons who deal with vintage variations as a part of their chosen life are going to swing with the changing climate way more effectively than big business. To those running scared I bring this story: Gideon Bienenstock, an Israeli vintner in California told me two years ago that the most remarkable fruits he ever tasted were from non-irrigated, abandoned fruit trees in the Sinai, “Shriveled but amazing.” This is also what the legendary Japanese fruit farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka, found, he grew the best fruits, by doing nothing except observing and following nature. Grape vines are amongst the most adaptable fruit bearers. Santorini makes fresh lively white wines from a terroir that receives two inches of rain a year when the conventional wisdom says vines need at least 16 inches of rain a year. Why? Perhaps instead of trying to control grape vines, perhaps we could use a few scientists on board who observe nature and want to husband the grapes into wine instead of sculpting the wine into what the market thinks it wants. So, in the end, what did I take away? A more serious look at the fact that taste of certain wines are going to be changing and that is going to impact not so much small vignerons who are better equipped to adapt, but big business wineries. Michel Rolland's behavior was stunningly insulting. The New World is going to be more pressed to observe the rules of nature, meaning perhaps people won't continue to grow chardonnay in hot climates. Vermentino (the oh-so-lovely grape of Italy's southern islands and France's Corsica (also called Rolle in the south of France) because it does so well in heat is the new Chardonnay. Cabernet Franc will be the new Merlot. Syrah (in this conference calle a hot weather grape) will continue to be abused by the new world. England is going to be the next Champagne Belgium will be home to the next Burgundy. And, these committees could use a humanist to temper alll of those scientists.