Stressful Conditions for Grapes. And for Winemakers!
Summer 2024 has shown that climate change is here, and it’s real. There is extreme weather around the US and the world with torrential rains, cold temperatures, heat waves, and drought. Many industries are affected, but agriculture faces the greatest challenges.
The wine industry is not immune from these challenges, and this vintage looks to be a varied one: some parts of the country, such as the East Coast, are dealing with a historic hurricane season that will bring plenty of rain, and with it the proliferation of microorganisms. Other areas have heat waves and drought conditions that cause declining productivity in vines.
These conditions can lead to unpleasant situations in the vineyard and, as a result, the winery. Winemakers may face difficulties such as high pH, microbiological contamination, the inability to control high temperatures, and having to protect against the oxidative phenomena that will be increasingly present, while limiting the loss of aromatics and color.
Protecting grapes is therefore important from the moment of harvest, and proper intervention by winemakers is essential to ensure the quality of the final product. In red winemaking, for example, it is necessary to protect, extract, and stabilize color as soon as possible.
The loss of aromatic intensity, color changes during storage, premature ageing, and precipitates in the bottle are undesirable situations for both producers and consumers.
The harvest period for red grapes is relatively long, which allows for both young, fresh, ready-to-drink wines and for more structured, premium wines intended for ageing.
Enartis has developed some useful tips on how to best approach winemaking for reds under the possible conditions that lie ahead, considering the different needs of winemakers and the market from an increasingly sustainable perspective.
