Wine Stocking Time

 

You may or may not know that I bartend and have studied wine for many years. Love it! By no means am I a sommelier (though almost took some of the courses years ago) or an expert, but I know more than the average bear. I used to have a pretty impressive collection but have since drank it over the years and gave up the collecting. That can get expensive! Still got a nice bottle of Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne though. That will be in my mouth some day soon though. If I could, I would drink wine with every meal as I'm a believer that it can accentuate the flavor. Alas, I haven't reached that stage yet. One day! 

I came across this article on Huffington Post earlier and was quite saddened and disturbed. There were photos at the end of the article mentioned about what could be ruined with climate change and that's where the wine part comes in. Here's the info provided from HuffPo.

Winegrowers in France's Champagne region and scientists have already seen changes in the past 25 years, reported The New York Times last year. They have "noted major changes in their vineyards, including an increased sugar content in the grapes from which they make their wine, with a consequent decrease in acidity, and a harvest time that regularly comes two weeks earlier than it once did." 

Last year, the Telegraph reported that Bordeaux, one of the world's most famous wine-producing regions, may be "unsuitable for wine-growing by 2050." 

Yale Environment 360 explains that many European wines are tied to a specific geographical area, creating a problem for regions which may soon find themselves most suited to a new kind of grape. 

In the U.S., researchers at Stanford University found that climate change could mean "50% less land suitable for cultivating premium wine grapes in high-value areas of Northern California." 

A 2006 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that "up to 81 percent" of "premium-wine-grape production area" could decline in the U.S. by the end of this century, reported Wired. Without any adaptation measures, wine-grape production could disappear from "many areas" of the country. Wired notes, "By the law of supply and demand, that suggests the best wines of tomorrow will cost even more than the ridiculous amounts they fetch today."

So, stock up on some wine, kiddies! Let's have a big party before it gets too pricey. And buy some for me while you're at it. I do love champagne so go ahead and grab me some Krug, Cristal, Billecart-Salmon, Bollinger and whatever else you can get your hands on. I'll be waiting with glass in hand.