Southern Rhône varietals adapting better to climate change than Bordeaux varieties, claims leading producer
Southern Rhône varietals including Grenache, Syrah and Carignan are adapting better to changing climatic conditions, while Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet and Merlot in Languedoc-Roussilon are faring less well in the warmer temeratures, according to one of the region’s leading producers Les Jamelles.
Bernard Camman, director of viticulture at Badet Clément a French wine group that owns Les Jamelles told Vino-Joy.com that climate change was becoming more difficult to cope with for many producers. Referring to the wildly fluctuating climactic conditions he said; “They have always been there but today we are reaching temperature way above 40°C and more than once a year.”
Other factors such as storms, hails, and heavy rain are more secondary in term of impact to winemaking in the southern France region, he added. His comments come at a time when France’s weather pattern is becoming ever more erratic, including the recent record breaking heatwave earlier this summer, when a new law to allow new Bordeaux varieties better able to adapt and thrive in high temperatures was passed.
The shifting climate has seen spiking temperatures and frequency of extreme weather conditions, and while southern France does not have a particular problem with ripening, coping with extreme heat is more daunting for most wine producers.
“Varieties such as Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre or white varieties including Marsanne, Roussanne, Carignan Blanc are much better adapted,” said Camman, while Merlot, a variety he described that “sweats a lot” requires greater levels of irrigation and responds less well to heat in southern France.
While higher temperatures undoubtedly bring problems, one benefit for the winery is that “grapes are reaching higher level of maturity helping to create wine that are meeting some of the consumers’ expectations,” he explained.
This year the heatwave that scorched France in late June is estimated to have adversely affected the country’s yields by reducing 13% of France’s overall wine production,according to France’s department of agriculture. In parts of southern France this year, temperature reached 46°C, and the Gard, Herault and Var were three areas severely affected by heat damage, the minister added.
Les Jamelles, founded in 1995 in the Languedoc region, was lucky enough to escape the worst of the extreme temperatures.