Forced to start picking grapes much earlier than normal, winemakers across France are worrying that grape quality will suffer from the climate-induced stress.
French wine regions from the southwest to the northeast are suffering through heatwaves.PARIS - Forced to start picking grapes much earlier than normal because of torrid temperatures, winemakers across France are worrying that grape quality will suffer from the climate-induced stress.
Like other farmers, French winegrowers have been grappling for years with increasingly common extreme weather including spring freezes, devastating hailstorms and unseasonably heavy rains. And while grape vines are hardier than many other crops, with roots that descend deep into the ground over years of growth, even they can withstand only so much.
And when temperatures surpass 38 degrees Celsius,"the grape burns -- it dries up, loses volume and quality suffers" because the resulting alcohol content"is too high for consumers," said Pierre Champetier, president of the Protected Geographical Indication for the Ardeche region south of Lyon.Now he worries that global warming will make such premature harvests"normal.
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