![]() ![]() “That means more gluconic acid and therefore a stronger and thicker mouthfeel and higher alcohol content.” A wine shake-up? Higher temperatures mean faster maturation and accumulation of sugars, but less malic acid, all of which affects flavour.įrom 1951 to 2017, temperatures increased during the grape maturation season in most of China’s 92 wine-producing regions. Research by the North-West Agriculture and Forestry University (NWAFU) shows that climate warming has shrunk the areas with the short frost-free periods and low temperatures that restrict grape-growing: “There is huge potential for development of wine production in China’s north.”Ĭlimate change doesn’t just mean China is producing more wine it’s producing different wine too.įurther research by NWAFU explains that weather is crucial to a grape’s quality as it matures – and so to is the quality and mouthfeel of the wine from that grape. The zones suitable for wine grape cultivation have been creeping into China’s north-west and north-east. Climate change is another, often overlooked contributing factor.Īccording to the latest analysis from the Chinese Meteorological Administration, average temperatures in China have risen 0.5-0.8C in the last century, making it possible to cultivate wine grapes 100-160 kilometres further north. This growth, and the development of the wine industry in general, have been aided by technological advances. ![]() By 2016 that area had expanded to 847,000 hectares. In the early 1950s, China planted 3,200 hectares of grapes. “In the arid mountainous region of Ningxia, some 550 miles west of Beijing, the local government has reclaimed desert-like expanses, irrigated them profusely, planted them with cabernet sauvignon and merlot and started a campaign to transform this rugged backwater into China’s answer to Bordeaux.” In 2013, the New York Times commented on the developing industry in Ningxia province, on the border with Inner Mongolia: ![]() These include wines made by the Changyu Pioneer Wine Company in the eastern provinces of Yantai, Shandong and Shihezi, Xinjiang. In 2016, teaching materials produced by the International Sommelier Guild covered Chinese wine regions for the first time. There is huge potential for development of wine production in China’s north As of 2017, China was the seventh largest wine producer, the fifth largest wine market and the second largest grape-grower. In fact, wine consumption is growing faster in China than anywhere else in the world. Both imported and homegrown wines are gaining in popularity. Urban Chinese, particularly the young, are drinking wine in increasing quantities. ![]() Yet, as climate change affects the industry worldwide, northern China could benefit. Temperature, sunlight and precipitation all impact grape quality. Fewer would picture wine.Įnvironmental conditions are crucial for all agriculture but particularly so for wine-making. Very few would think about necessary changes to what we grow and eat. Calmer heads may consider the recent discussions in Poland over the Paris Agreement. Mention climate change impacts and some will think of Pacific island states disappearing under glacial meltwater, or global apocalypse like that depicted in the Hollywood film The Day After Tomorrow. ![]()
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