Bordeaux might soon have competition for the mantle of the world’s most famous wine region.
As climate change affects rainfall and temperatures continue to rise, experts predict that regions as far north as Yorkshire in the UK could become premier wine producers by the end of the century.
According to a recent Fine Wines and Restaurants Market Monitor report, Hull could be known for its cabernet sauvignon as soon as 2100, as climate change batters Bordeaux and transforms northern England into a hotspot for production.
‘Regions that couldn’t grow certain grapes can do that now’
Over the past decade, renowned vintages have emerged from increasinglyunlikely places. English sparkling wines are gaining global recognition, while Swedish whites have made surprising inroads on the international scene.
“Climate change is redrawing the wine map,” the report states, citing northern areas like Denmark that will thrive with longer growing seasons and milder conditions.
This shift is happening far beyond Europe, too.
“I think we’ll start to see more wine coming out of places like China, as winemakers utilise the breadth of regions where they can make it, from Ningxia to Yunnan,” says Ottara Pyne, a Burmese-American sommelier. Pyne is the portfolio manager of Wine Garage, a Bangkok-based import and distribution company that works with family-run and artisanal wineries around the world.
“In the US, too, there’s more serious wine being made in places like Virginia, Maryland and even the far end of Long Island.”
Traditional wine regions are under strain
While new areas emerge, longstanding wine capitals are facing existential challenges.
The report warns that Bordeaux could soon fail to reliably produce its signature wines, with drought, heat and shorter ripening seasons making cultivation more volatile.
Last year, Bordeaux recorded its lowest wine production since 1991 – 3.3 million hectolitres of wine, down from 3.8 million in 2023 – as frost and mildew wrecked crops.
“If the climate challenge is not addressed, cabernet sauvignon, once exclusive to southern Europe, may thrive in central and northern regions by 2100,” the report adds.
France’s famed Chablis region saw losses of up to 60 per cent in 2023, with late frosts, hail and mildew decimating crops. “It’s been a very tough year, both physically and mentally,” one winemaker told Euronews Green during last year’s disastrous harvest. “I’m exhausted.”
Now, some growers are harvesting earlier, replanting with hardier varieties or exploring new techniques. Others are calling for reforms to appellation rules, which would give them more flexibility in what grapes they can grow under protected labels.
Even in traditionally resilient parts of southern Europe, vintners are beginning to question the long-term viability of their family vineyards.
Could signature wines go the way of French mustard?
Just as Burgundy’s famed Dijon mustard and the Netherlands’ Gouda cheese face extinction from a changing climate, iconic wines may soon be at risk.
But Pyne says that the effects of climate change aren’t as straightforward as wine regions moving north or south – or great wines disappearing entirely from famed regions.
“Burgundy and Napa Valley will always be there. They will try to produce great wines no matter what,” he says. They just might not be your usual cabernet or pinot noir.
Pyne points to new grape varietals and hybrids being grown across Europe and the US as examples of winemakers beginning to think out of the box.
“Regions that couldn’t grow certain grapes, whether it’s chardonnay in Germany or Syrah in Oregon, can do that now,” says Pyne.
“There are a lot of places where you can make wine and express both the terroir and the character of the people making it. There are several paths ahead of us.”
