bbc.com
Climate Change Drives Rise of Non-Vintage Wines
Facing increasingly unpredictable weather due to climate change, some high-quality wineries are adopting non-vintage winemaking, blending grapes from multiple years to maintain consistent quality, challenging the traditional focus on single-vintage wines.
- What are the potential economic and consumer implications of the rising popularity of non-vintage wines?
- The shift towards non-vintage still wines is a direct response to the increased unpredictability of weather patterns due to climate change. Examples include the 2017 Napa Valley wildfires, which prompted winemaker Chris Howell to blend grapes from different years. This trend, while initially facing consumer resistance, is gaining traction among both budget-conscious and expert wine drinkers.
- How is climate change impacting wine production, and what specific strategies are wineries employing to adapt?
- Climate change is causing more extreme weather in wine regions, leading some wineries to produce non-vintage wines by blending grapes from different years to ensure consistent quality. This is a departure from the traditional emphasis on vintage wines, especially in the still wine market. Wineries are adopting this practice to mitigate risks from events like wildfires and heatwaves that can compromise harvests.
- What long-term effects might the increased frequency of extreme weather have on the wine industry's reliance on traditional vintage-based models?
- The growing adoption of non-vintage wines signifies a potential paradigm shift in the wine industry. As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, the ability to produce consistent wines using multi-year blends may become increasingly crucial for maintaining quality and profitability. This could lead to a reassessment of consumer perceptions regarding vintage wines and the acceptance of non-vintage blends as a superior alternative in certain contexts.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The article frames the shift towards non-vintage wines as a positive adaptation to climate change, highlighting the benefits for winemakers in producing consistent quality. While acknowledging some consumer resistance, the overall tone leans towards promoting the acceptance of non-vintage wines. The headline itself emphasizes the climate change aspect, potentially influencing the reader to view the shift towards non-vintage as a necessary consequence.
Language Bias
The language used is generally neutral, although terms like "downmarket" and "cheap and not cheerful" to describe non-vintage wines could be considered slightly loaded. More neutral alternatives might be "less expensive" or "less prestigious". The name of one wine, "Hey French, You Could Have Made This But You Didn't", is playful but could be perceived as slightly biased against French wines.
Bias by Omission
The article focuses primarily on the perspective of winemakers adapting to climate change through non-vintage blends. While it mentions consumer perspectives, a more in-depth exploration of consumer opinions on non-vintage wines and their acceptance of this change would provide a more complete picture. The potential economic impacts on the vintage wine market are also not fully explored.
False Dichotomy
The article presents a somewhat simplified view of consumer preferences, categorizing them into three groups with distinct opinions on vintage versus non-vintage wines. This oversimplifies the complex range of consumer preferences and motivations.
Sustainable Development Goals
The article discusses how climate change is forcing winemakers to adopt non-vintage winemaking techniques by blending wines from different years. This adaptation helps mitigate the negative impacts of extreme weather events (heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, hailstorms) caused by climate change, ensuring more consistent wine production and quality. This is a positive step towards climate change adaptation within the agricultural sector.