Climate Change and European Winemakers’ Resilience at “The Wine Advocate Symposium”

Five iconic producers from five legendary territories such as Guillaume Selosse (Domaine Jacques Selosse, a Champagne brand), Klaus Peter Keller (Weingut Keller, a reference point for Rhenish Riesling), Charles Lachaux (Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, in the legendary Vosne-Romanée, in Borgogna), Pierre-Olivier Clouet (Château Cheval Blanc, legendary Bordeaux winery) and Luca Roagna (Roagna, Barbaresco’s reference winery), for “The Wine Advocate Symposium”, the masterclass led by William Kelley, deputy editor of “Robert Parker Wine Advocate”, on stage on November 16, in Paris, which focuses on the effects of climate change on viticulture and the paths taken by European winemakers to face the future of viticulture.
Early harvests, more frequent frosts, and dry, hot summers are all putting a strain on the vineyards’ resilience. Just two decades ago, it was frequently difficult to ripen the grapes, but today the priority is to avoid grape overripeness. It is the common thread that will guide winemakers’ decisions and define the production of quality wines for the next decade and beyond, as told in the glass by the masterclass’s wine protagonists: Champagne Jacques Selosse Subtance, Weingut Keller Riesling Morstein 2009, Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Corvées Pagets 2018, Château Cheval Blanc 2019 and Roagna Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 2016.
The dinner that follows the masterclass also plays a “high” role in remembering exactly what the wine world is attempting to preserve, namely balanced wines that can last for a long time: Champagne Jacques Selosse Initial, Champagne Jacques Selosse Millésimé 2003 in magnum, Weingut Keller Hipping Riesling Auction 2014, Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes Maizières 2017, Château Cheval Blanc 2004 in double magnum and Roagna Barbaresco Pajé VV 2010 in magnum, paired with dishes by Eric Frechon of the three Michelin stars “Epicure”.