The message from "Climate Change & Fine Wines": Winemaking is the model for all agriculture

Climate change, climate emergency, and environmental tragedy. The times we are currently living in have been called many different names, which more and more place the issue of sustainability at the center of debates and communication. It is a complex issue, as we have often said, and in order to obtain concrete results and benefits for man, everyone must play his part. That includes of course, wine, which has always been the spearhead of agriculture. Furthermore, it has the strength to be a model for the entire agricultural sector, starting from the vineyard and the winery, but not only. As Carlo Petrini said, “sustainability means everything we do in our life and in our work, which must aim at greater durability over time”. Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food and Langhe, and one of the greatest thinkers of our time, was one of the main players in Costigliole d'Asti, right in his own backyard, Piedmont, at the conference, "Climate Change & Fine Wines", which was held recently at Mura Mura https://muramura.it/, the winery led by Guido Martinetti and Federico Grom (former founders of the famous Italian ice cream brand Grom, ed.). The conference brought together some of the most important wine producers from Italy and the world, such as Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Romanée-Conti, Elio Altare of Barolo, Saskia De Rotschild of Château Lafite, Alessio Planeta of the Sicilian winery, Mario Pojer (Pojer and Sandri Farm in Trentino), Jean- Pierre Perrin (Château de Beaucastel), Willi Bründlmayer (Weingut Bründlmayer in Kamptal, Austria), and Paolo De Marchi (Isole and Olena, in Chianti Classico, in Tuscany), to name a few, to discuss the topic of climate change in the vineyard. As we know, it is an enormous problem for humanity, in a not too distant perspective, while in recent years it has put some winemakers in a difficult position, and has instead "helped" others.
José Vouillamoz of the Académie Internationale du Vin and Carlo Petrini of Slow Food opened the conference and highlighted the evidence of the consequences of global warming as well as the options available to winemakers to defend the soil and protect biodiversity through sustainable actions. “Since the Eighties in the Twentieth century, grape harvests have been starting earlier and earlier, and this is one of the consequences of global warming. The grape vines”, said José Vouillamoz, “adapt to the climate. What kinds of wines will we have in 50 years? In Beaune, it will no longer be possible to grow Pinot Noir. In Bordeaux, they are already experimenting with 52 grape varieties that are resistant to heat. If we want to change grape varieties in a region, we must realize that it is a long-term decision. If we want to keep local vines - I think there are vines that have been abandoned because they produced very little, but they are the stars of our future. What can we do? Invest in research of genetic techniques”. “There will no longer be borders in climate change”, added Petrini, “and today we are close to a point of no return. We are facing a period that I call the ecological transition, which requires us to change our life style. We had previously thought that the planet's resources were infinite and we could create our wellbeing. It was the wrong concept. Climate change requires us to reverse our course. All of us are already seeing the consequences. The agro-food sector is extremely important for the production of CO2. It is responsible for 34% of world production, against 17% of cars, airplanes and other means of transport. There are four aspects that we must take into account: intensive farming, good agricultural practices, the use of disposable plastic, soil protection and overbuilding with consequent loss of biodiversity”. As we mentioned, a fundamental point emerged from the speeches of the wine producers; that is, global warming has not been perceived to the same extent in every area of the planet, and has not had the same consequences, even though there is a variation in grape yields everywhere, as well as in the acidity and aromas of wines. “We are in the front row watching this important climate change”, said Aubert de Villaine, connected with Romanée-Conti, “I don't think we will abandon Pinot Noir in Burgundy to have it then cultivated by the British: we will adapt. The experiments we are doing now take climate change into consideration. Our latest vintages are already different from the ‘70s and the ‘80s. They are more structured wines, they have a stronger character and more pronounced tannins. This will lead us to consume the younger Burgundy wines”. “I have participated in 56 harvests”, said the Barolo winemaker, Elio Altare, “and I made a journal of them. Therefore, I saw in advance the phenological stages, the spring frosts, the increase in water stress, and the change in the aromatic range. In Langa the changes have taken place over the last 25 years. So, we must protect the territory more, and recreate the environments and biodiversity also by planting woods and truffle host plants”.
The areas where extremely violent climatic events have been registered, such as fires, heavy hailstorms and floods, namely in Sicily, Austria, California and Spain, as witnessed by Alessio Planeta (Planeta), Willi Bründlmayer (Weingut Bründlmayer), Carlo Mondavi (Raen) and Alvaro Palacios (Bodega Alvaro Palacios), greatly contrast instead with areas that have even benefited from the increase in temperatures. Mario Pojer of the Pojer e Sandri Farm, for instance, underlined that thanks to the characteristics of the territory, “our production in Trentino has been able to move to higher altitudes and have the possibility to enjoy the fresh air that comes from Lake Garda. In recent years, we have also had some positive opportunities thanks to climate change and the increase in temperatures, which have allowed the grapes planted at lower altitudes, such as Cabernet, to ripen fully”. The impact of climate change is different, therefore, just like agronomic choices and management techniques that each producer has decided to adopt must necessarily be different, in order to keep the quality of production high.
There are producers that are more inclined to innovation, including Saskia De Rotschild who, at Château Lafite, is studying hybrid vines and recovering biodiversity in the historic Estate. They are in direct contrast with producers more linked to tradition, to which maintaining the identity of the wine is more important than any other aspect. Aubert De Villaine himself, Thomas Duroux (Château Palmer) and Jean-Pierre Perrin (Château de Beaucastel) are examples of producers opposed to genetic changes and determined to protect the purity of the grape, while exploiting other aspects, including the choice of the graft and clonal diversity. Perrin, in particular, called himself “perhaps too idealistic and utopian”, but expressed his “full confidence in the power of the earth and in the ability of the vine to adapt to change. The role of the winegrower must be that of accompanying and facilitating its adaptation”.
“We had to make choices, like removing Muller Thurgau, because it is a vine that needs the cold,” said Willi Bründlmayer of Weingut Bründlmayer in Kamptal, in Austria. “The true winemaker”, Paolo De Marchi of Isole and Olena, in Tuscany, in the heart of Chianti Classico reflected, “is the one who also becomes a bit of a vine. In the heat, man or animal can look for shade and water, while the vine is forced to remain still and find its balance. In this way, to survive, it must change. We must think in these terms”.
Beyond the different viewpoints, however, all the producers have reached a common awareness. “Viticulture has always been the spearhead of the agriculture sector and it needs to continue to behave as such”, said Carlo Petrini. Further, as the Sicilian producer Alessio Planeta reiterated, “winegrowers have a very important role as cultural models for those who are in agriculture. They have a higher responsibility compared to the rest of the agricultural system. The way in which we will manage agriculture in the coming years will serve also for others; it will be a model”.
“This is the Convivio’s first event”, said Guido Martinetti, “ and we want to propose Mura Mura as a meeting place for people that are excellent in arts and crafts, and who mutually enrich each other by making experiences and culture available. Mura Mura has a simple goal - to produce extraordinary wines, in a magical and beautiful place. A place becomes magical when extraordinary people, who contaminate each other, make it so. Nature, on the other hand, thinks about beauty”.