How Is Climate Change Altering the Taste of Wine?

As people intimately connected to how weather and climate affect the qualities of their valuable product, no one in the wine industry denies that climate change is real. Raising consciousness of this fact with you—the wine drinking public—and taking steps to combat the origins of climate change must take priority. If for no other reason than climate change will affect the taste, flavor, aroma, and even texture of fine wine, read on! 

Even large wine producers, like Familia Torres and Seguras Viudas in Spain, Fetzer/Bonterra in the USA, and Concha y Toro in Chile take climate change’s effects very seriously. In fact, the Fetzer corporate group changed its name in 2022 to Bonterra Organic Estates, after its Bonterra certified organic brand that has existed since the 1990s. The best wine store California sells Bonterra, and numerous other organic and biodynamic wines that can help you help these wineries reduce the climate impact. 

“What we see as the future is that organic is not a niche,” Fetzer U.S. group CEO Giancarlo Bianchetti told the North Bay Business Journal at the time. “It's something that is becoming more and more mainstream, especially in younger generations.” The Business Journal reported that three reasons for the move existed. First, the consumer shift toward environmentally sensitive products; second, the Fetzer group’s long-standing approach to organic farming and winemaking (including Bonterra); and third, taking a more public advocacy role regarding regenerative agriculture. 

Climate Change and Wine Taste 

More alcohol, different flavors, distinct colors, different aromas . . . Climate change is altering most wine’s organoleptic profiles, challenging producers to apply different techniques to maintain the distinct characteristics of their creations. 

The primary cause is the increased number of days with high temperatures and recurring heat waves each year, directly affecting the concentration of sugars in the grapes and consequently leading to higher alcohol content in wines, explain industry experts. Indeed, Seguras Viudas, a large Cava sparkling wine producer, says that wines are affected by climate change in the following ways: 

Higher alcohol content: Higher ABV is one of the consequences of climate change, as grape maturation accelerates owing to continuous and direct exposure to sunlight. Additionally, there may be a higher concentration of sugars produced by the same causes. The winery concludes that undoubtedly, the high temperatures and droughts of recent years interfere with the grapes ability to mature over longer time periods. 

“Alcohol content has a significant impact on the sensory profile. The higher the alcohol content, the more the appreciated fruity notes diminish,” María Pilar Sáenz Navajas, an enologist and chemist at Spain’s Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) told Forbes Spain. 

Sáenz, who also works at the Institute of Grapevine and Wine Sciences (ICVV), adds that higher alcohol content makes the wine more aggressive in the mouth and brings out green characters on the nose. 

Fewer tannins and other phenolics: Seguras Viudas summarizes that a decrease in the tannin levels of grapes occurs. Tannins are phenolic compounds found in various parts of the grape, particularly the skins. Their role in wine production is to give the wine the level of phenolic compounds (color, mouthfeel) and aromas characteristic of many types of wine, particularly red wines. 

Notably, phenolic and aromatic maturity (indicating the optimal state of compounds such as tannins) will not yet been reached when grape sugar content peaks owing to heat, specifies Andrea Casquete, a viticulture specialist and expert in its adaptation to climate change. A misbalance is occurring owing to climate change. 

“The issue of phenolic maturation is a bit of a headache for us, as it is the cornerstone of a great wine. A lack of maturation makes it much more challenging to achieve a balanced wine without bitterness or vegetal notes,” acknowledges Pablo Franco, the technical director of the DOCa Rioja. 

Additionally, the fact that the thermal variation between day and night during the hot months is becoming increasingly smaller significantly affects the formation of anthocyanins, “phenolic compounds involved in the color of wines present in grape skins,” notes Casquete. 

Higher pH: Reduced acidity is another factor closely linked to low tannin levels. This, in turn, causes the wine to be lighter if no action is taken by the winemaker. Casquette told Forbes that the increased incidence of solar radiation on vineyard soils reduces the acidity of wines, leading to a strong organoleptic imbalance, “not only in white wines (which always seek that freshness resulting from acidity), but also in red wines for maintaining color and aging potential over time.” 

What Can You Do about Climate Change and Wine? 

We consulted with Wine Guru Karen McNeil, author of The Wine Bible, about steps you, the wine consumer can take. Here is what Karen suggested, which falls in line with Bottle Barn’s principles. 

1. Karen told us: “Refuse to buy wines in super heavy ‘Hummer’ bottles. About 40% of a winery’s carbon footprint is in shipping glass. Those heavy bottles are meant to convey that the wine inside is great. But there’s no correlation between quality and bottle size. I think it’s increasingly irresponsible for wineries to use those heavy bottles (that weigh nearly 5 pounds when full). If we consumers don’t buy wines in heavy bottles, wineries will stop bottling their wines in them.”
2. Karen says: “I’m just a small company, but I donate 10% of the subscription fee to my newsletter WineSpeed  to the International Wineries for Climate Action. Every penny counts. Wineries alone should not carry the entire responsibility for positive environmental change. We consumers can help.”
3. Ensure that your online wine delivery contains enough wine to justify the shipping. Placing larger orders less often will cut down on the carbon footprint. Karen writes: “This is going to sound funny, but buy more wine when you buy. Why make 4 trips to the store or cause 4 deliveries from an internet company and just buy 3 bottles each time? That’s a lot of transportation (fossil fuel usage) plus lots of boxes and packaging materials (sometimes dreaded Styrofoam). Maybe just buy a case and be done with it. And besides, you’ll usually get a case discount.”
4. “Look up on the internet the winery whose wines you buy. Do they follow organic, biodynamic or regenerative agriculture practices? This can be a little hard to deduce but wineries are getting better about giving this information. The word “sustainability” isn’t enough in my opinion. It seems to me like EVERY winery in the world claims to be sustainable.’” So, consider buying from wineries that practice Regenerative Viticulture, organic viticulture, and/or use biodynamic practices. Fortunately, when you Google “buy wine near me,” Bottle Barn has easy to find categories for eco-friendly wines.