WINE IS HAVING TO FIND A NEW PATH

But one of the most impacted industries from climate change is wine production. It’s not just droughts affecting its production. Many of the most prolific regions from Spain to Australia, California to Chile, are prone to and have been severely affected by wildfires too.

Smoke taint has become a huge issue for wine growers. Grapes exposed to smoke from nearby wine growers, absorb airborne compounds from burning wood, which then bind the sugars and molecules in the grape. Only once fermented do the grapes reveal an acidity, breaking down the sugars, and altering the taste profile. In fact, it’s said to give notes of chemicals, ashtrays, plastic and wet cigars. Yummy.

There are numerous projects now afoot to see if the taste can be removed, or even the wine repurposed. Australia’s Simon Tolley Wines has entered into a research project to see if these grapes can instead be repurposed to make spirits, namely smoke-flavoured brandy or gin. The work forms part of a bigger University of Adelaide project studying the effects of climate change on brandy production.