With southern European temperatures soaring in the last few years, fine winemakers in Bordeaux and Médoc-Atlantique are facing a key dilemma.
Earlier, they used to worry about grapes not ripening enough. Now, some of its most prized varieties are ripening too well, too early.
This shift has gone far beyond only production, and is now threatening one of the world’s most famous wine regions’ core identity.
Beyond rising temperatures, the uncertainty of weather patterns can create an even more complex challenge now. With climate changes becoming increasingly more unpredictable every year, wine producers are often left scrambling to implement coping mechanisms.
“France saw an early bud burst this year, followed by overnight freezing temperatures the last weekend in March, with many winemakers from Champagne through to Bordeaux having to put anti-frost measures in place overnight to avoid the frost killing off delicate buds that could have ruined their entire year’s crop,” Adam Stebbings, founder and CEO of wine tourism company SmoothRed, told Forbes in an email.
Why Fine Wine Has Entered A New Era Of Climate Competition
Today, much of Bordeaux and Médoc’s fine wine is dealing with new types of climate pressures and competition.
While this is creating fresh opportunities for certain grape varieties, others are finding their identities irrevocably changed.
This is already being seen in historic wine estates like Château Paveil de Luze in Médoc. Dating back to the 17th century, it has been owned and managed by the de Luze family for seven generations.
“Our terroir is perfectly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, which traditionally sometimes struggled to reach the desired level of ripeness in certain vintages, but now expresses itself beautifully,” Marguerite de Luze, co-owner of the estate.
She added: “Conversely, Merlot is now reaching potential alcohol levels at harvest that no longer necessarily correspond to the style of Margaux wines we aim to produce – wines known for their freshness, finesse and complex aromatic bouquet.”
According to Fine + Rare, Merlot alcohol levels can now often reach above 14.5% ABV, due to increasing temperatures boosting sugar content in the grape variety, instead of the ideal 12.5% to 13.5% target.
This shift is creating added complexity as consumers still expect the same quality across vintages, regardless of weather and grape alcohol changes, which means producers have to be even more vigilant about managing differences.
Changing climate also means earlier growing seasons, which can bring its own set of unpredictable and difficult to manage challenges.
“Over the past 10-20 years, the greatest challenge we have faced in relation to climate change has been the increasing precocity of vine phenology. Budburst, flowering and veraison are occurring earlier and earlier in the season, during periods when the risks of frost, hail and intense disease pressure are becoming greater,” de Luze pointed out.
This shift now means that producers are no longer only adapting to maintain yields, but more to protect the very identity of what makes Bordeaux wine a distinctive luxury product.
How Vineyards Are Adapting
In the last few years, Bordeaux and Médoc’s winemakers have been forced to adapt how they make premium wine, to ensure that vineyards are redesigned as resilient ecosystems.
One of the key ways of doing this is by working with natural systems, with estates across the region increasingly shifting towards agroecological approaches.
Château Paveil de Luze has implemented longer winter pruning sessions and planting more in autumn, in order to bolster root establishment. Another method is using more cover crops.
“We are working towards balancing an entire ecosystem, rather than focusing solely on the vine itself. We are adapting our blends, considering the introduction of new grape varieties, rethinking cluster regulation per vine and limiting grape exposure to sunlight,” de Luze explained.
Vineyards are also adapting to rising temperatures by consciously building biodiversity by replanting hedgerows within the parcels and integrating more flowers, fruit trees and grassing within estates, to create ecological corridors and attract more vibrant insect biodiversity.
Château de Chelivette has incorporated this strategy within its core operations as a fully self-sufficient farm, certified in both organic farming and Demeter biodynamic agriculture.
This is the world’s oldest certification for biodynamic food, based on the principle that the farm is a single, self-sustaining living organism which integrates soil, animals, plants and humans.
As such, it often has stricter requirements than standard organic certification, to heavily restrict the use of synthetic chemicals and prevent artificial additives during food processing. It also requires that at least 10% of a farm’s total land be dedicated to biodiversity preservation, to provide habitats for birds, insects and soil micro-organisms.
Currently, only around 61 Bordeaux wine estates hold the Demeter certification, according to The World Of Fine Wine, out of more than 5,000 estates.
“We tend to see the wealthier wineries being the drivers in pursuing environmental labels, while smaller, family-run estates who may be working in biodynamic or organic ways don’t necessarily pursue certification because the process and labels are very time-intensive and expensive, making it cost-prohibitive,” Stebbings explained.
Only around 12 hectares at Château de Chelivette are planted with vines, with the rest of the property being covered in shrubs, meadows, forest corridors and century-old trees.
It also incorporates farm animals and vegetable gardens for a more holistic ecosystem, while using techniques like spraying natural herbal teas directly onto the vines, to help them cope with heat and water stress.
Several estates are adding ponds as well, to create a balanced aquatic ecosystem that attracts natural predators like dragonflies, frogs and birds, while keeping vine-damaging insects in check.
Amid increasing heat and dry summers, these ponds act as water reserves, as well as microclimates which help reduce the effect of extreme temperature spikes around vines.
Château Paveil de Luze is also introducing beehives to its estate, hosting them through a neighbouring beekeeper, as another way to support biodiversity by pollinating surrounding cover crops and flora. This helps enrich the soil by naturally adding organic matter to the soil.
Thriving bee populations also indicate a healthy, chemical-free environment, which attracts other beneficial insects. This also allows the estate to add artisanal honey to their offerings, supporting a stronger diversification strategy, instead of only relying on wine.
“We are also fortunate to be part of a collective movement that is ahead of these issues within the Margaux appellation, illustrated by the ‘Margaux, Terroir of Biodiversity’ project launched in 2013. Its goal is to restore and promote biodiversity within the appellation.” de Luze pointed out.
She added: “Finally, Château Paveil de Luze is located within the Médoc Regional Natural Park, a territory of remarkable natural richness managed by deeply committed local stakeholders, who recently launched the “Valeurs Parc” label, which we hope to join.”
The estate is also starting to manage diseases like earlier downy mildew pressure differently now, through natural alternatives such as bitter orange essential oil and precision spraying technologies. This helps greatly reduce reliance on conventional phytosanitary products.
Through these changes, these wine producers are increasingly treating vineyard resilience as a wider ecosystem health improvement, rather than a series of technical fixes.
The Coastal Advantage
While Bordeaux, like much of France, has dealt with rising heat in the last few years, it has a key climate advantage many other regions don’t: its proximity to water.
The Bordeaux wine region is located along the Garonne river and is very close to the Atlantic Ocean too. Similarly, Médoc is located between the Gironde estuary and the ocean.
This allows vineyards within these regions to experience relatively fewer temperature extremes than other more inland regions. They are also a little more sheltered from intense summer heat and some spring frost.
However, the closeness to water also creates more disease pressure due to maritime humidity. Diseases like downy mildew are now showing up earlier and remain a major threat, with producers having to remain especially conscious of interactions between terroir, climate and adaptation strategies.
At the same time, the coastal setting also helps wine producers build economic resilience beyond vineyards by expanding and diversifying more into hospitality and wine tourism, creating an additional revenue stream alongside mainstream production.
“For tourism, coastal vineyards have always had an appeal due to the dual appeal, particularly in the summer months when travellers tend to switch off on longer, combined breaks,” Stebbings noted.
As agritourism gains more popularity globally, environmentally conscious travellers are increasingly seeking out vineyards prioritising sustainable practices, slow travel and more authentic, exclusive experiences. This provides ample opportunities for vineyard tours, bespoke tasting experiences and events and boutique farm stays.
“This is exciting, as more wine regions develop the infrastructure to welcome higher volumes of tourists, which is more economically sustainable for developing rural regions and helps elevate lesser-known wine regions,” Stebbings said.
The Next Vintage Of Fine Wine
Ultimately, the future of Bordeaux fine wine will depend heavily on producers being able to adapt without losing the very qualities consumers look for.
This means building resilience strategies that focus on preserving the quality of the wines, even while using different agricultural techniques and taking advantage of the region’s unique terroir. These may include changing blends, restoring biodiversity or even fundamentally rethinking how consumers experience luxury.
As such, the vineyards which are most likely to usher in the next vintage of fine wine are those who understand that climate resilience is not an optional, stop-gap solution, but something that needs to already be integrated into core operations now.
