The game of wines

The grape harvest in Europe and North America has ended and vintners are busy racking the resulting reds and bottling the whites that are mostly already ready.

Since vineyards are largely rain-fed in key grape-growing areas, the weather is critical for determining grape quality. And since 80 per cent of a wine’s quality is determined by that of the grapes, ultimately it’s mother nature that decides how good your wine will be. Of course, weather conditions vary enormously from region to region over the growing period (April to October), and so does grape (and wine) quality.

Climate change over the last 30 years has had multiple effects on the wine industry — some beneficial, others not quite as much.

For one, warmer summers have resulted in a run of “harvests of the century”: Barolo, Burgundy, Champagne, the Mosel and Rhine valleys have benefited from more good vintages than ever before.

Warmer summers have also resulted in grapes with higher sugar levels and a corresponding increase in the alcohol content in wine. Broadly, average wine strengths have increased from about 11.5 per cent in the 1980s to at least 12.5 per cent today, with some wines going to 15 per cent or even 16 per cent, something that was previously unheard of.

Climate change has also resulted in a changing wine map. Grapes are being grown further north and at higher altitudes than ever before. A world-class wine industry is developing in England for sparkling wines good enough to challenge Champagnes. And vineyards are being planted at altitudes of more 5,000 ft in places where this was previously impossible; in Argentina one hears of vineyards going up to 11,000 ft!

Last but not least, regions are now planting new varieties of wine grapes: Bordeaux, the home of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, has recently permitted the use of seven new grapes (including Marselan and Alberino), again something unimaginable in the past.

The overall impact of climate change is that the weather is no longer predictable, making grape-growing more challenging than ever before. A three-year drought in California has led to wildfires, and a similar drought in South Africa’s Cape Town led to unprecedented water rationing. 

In India, climate change has impacted grapes less severely — the most visible change is in bringing forward harvest dates in Nashik by about 30 days, from February to January. On the other hand, late rains this year are likely to delay the 2020 harvest in South Karnataka.

Wines I’ve been drinking: At a masterclass at Bengaluru’s new Four Seasons hotel, I tasted some classic wines from the Piedmont region of north-west Italy: Barbera D ‘Asti, Barbera D’ Alba, Barbaresco and Barolo.

The region of Piedmont (literally “at the foot of the mountains”) in Italy is bounded by the Alps to the north and west, the Apennine hills (and then the Mediterranean Sea) to the south, and the plains of Lombardy (Milan) to the east. The river Po flows eastwards through the rolling hills, and Turin (“Torino”, the region’s capital) sits on the river as it emerges from the mountains. 

The Vietti Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne 2016 was simply terrific. Rated 89 points by Wine Spectator, aged for nearly 18 months in oak casks, this red wine was superbly drinkable: dry, medium-bodied, with ripe cherry aromas and spice notes, and a long finish. Not yet available in India — a bargain at $17.

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant