Interplay between climate change and wineーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
Sweden is a place far up north that used to know rather cool summers. But with climate change, the season is now considerably warmer. In fact, ideal for growing certain grape varietals. Today, we cover the challenges of the country’s rising wine production and the greater implications. This winery, one of Sweden’s largest, lies in the southern Scorn region. It’s busy with tourists eager to taste its lineup of wines. I was pleasantly surprised. I think it was very aromatic and a lot of tastes. When I was a kid, I lived in the northern most part of Sweden in Lulio in the winters 35° below centigrade. Lots of snow. I at that time no one thought about having wines from Sweden. CEO Victor Dah is one of the country’s venters putting Swedish wines on the map. He grows about 30 grape varieties mainly for whites. This is a a plant Solaris. Uh Solaris is the is our main grape and it fits really good up in the cold climate. 10 years ago, his vineyard covered only one hectare. Now it’s 22 times larger and it produces some 30,000 bottles annually. It’s a very nice uh nice nose that comes up. I mean, it’s full body white wine. Um nice character, broad, playful. Um a lot of different nuances that gets a big character. Many of his labels are getting noticed. Some have even received awards at top international wine competitions. Can you please tell me a little bit about the winery has been exporting wines around Europe and to Asia. This one? Yeah. Sparkling. Yes. We’re doing a Rosia sparkling. We um we also going to label some more red wine. Lots of people say they’ve never heard of it, but many say it’s excellent and fruity when they actually try it. Our goal is to come up to around a production of 100,000 bottles. We’re making people happy with these wines that there is a taste that that talks to people and gives taste impressions and that’s really nice actually. Sweden’s vineyards have expanded to 200 hectares. That’s 20 times larger than 15 years ago. A major factor behind this boom is global warming. In Sweden, the annual average temperature has risen by 1.9° C compared to pre-industrial levels. And this has led to climate conditions suitable for grape cultivation. On the other hand, rising temperatures are negatively impacting established wine producing regions in France and Spain. In fact, some suggest that wine production could dry up in France in the future due to changing climate patterns. And this has been attracting its wine makers to Sweden. Roar Shishiri from France studied viticulture in Melier. He has been growing traditional grape varieties in Burgundy and other regions. This is Pino Mun with its pretty white leaves from which it gets its name. And to my right is Pon Noir with its beautiful distinctive green leaves. In Sweden, his focus is on pon noir and Chardonnay grapes which do well in mild climates. This is to safeguard the future. Realistically, we won’t be able to grow pon noir in Burgundy in the future. But if we start working on it now in Sweden, in 10 to 15 years, we’ll have amazing vineyards. But there’s a dilemma and an irony. Crops in Sweden, including grapes, are being harmed by factors attributed to climate change. These grapes are discolored and damaged. What you see here is Suzuki. They’ve been invaded by a type of fly that hadn’t dwelled in Sweden before. But with temperature rises, it moved in, laying eggs on fruit and posing a threat to the wine industry. Paul Basher, a professor who specializes in ecosystems, points out that wine production in Sweden will not be immediately threatened, but he says ultimately measures to slow down or halt climate change cannot wait. We see a lot of flies in in the windyards that we didn’t see a few years ago. These insects are arriving without their natural enemy. So they are uh free to yeah to disperse and to reproduce. So that’s that’s a threat. We should do everything we can to not uh trigger more of this climate change and we we should reduce the emissions. Despite the challenges, wine makers are passionate about pursuing ways to ensure the character of their beautiful drinks aren’t lost. Here in Japan, up north in Hokkaido, there’s also a buzzy viticulture scene that’s evolving like Sweden’s. It’s even attracted a veteran wine maker from Burgundy. But the industry’s migration is only a temporary fix. Where will producers go next as the planet keeps heating up? The question is a potent metaphor for the broader consequences of climate change. And that’s all from me.
The impact of climate change is taking root in the world of wine, and makers are moving north to places like Sweden, but they can’t really escape the heat.
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