Yes, I know that it sounds odd but global warming is benefiting Riesling growers, this according to seasoned veterans at a July, 2010 Seattle based conference.  Speakers suggested that warmer temperatures worldwide were opening up new regions for Riesling and guaranteeing more consistency in traditional regions.  Maynard Amerine and Albert Winkler from UC Davis classified the optimum sites for Riesling as zones with average temperatures between 13.2 and 15.2 Celsius between 1 April and 31 October. Temperatures in classical growing regions such as the Rheingau, Wachau and Alsace have risen by just over 1 degree in the past 30 years, resulting in increased consistency in quality there. At the same time, temperature increases have fuelled a rise in production in areas such as the Finger Lakes region of New York, Niagara in Ontario or the Old Mission Peninsula in Michigan.   At the same time new data was presented on how global warming might affect Riesling’s future.

Rising temperatures mean optimum production sites are moving further north, to higher altitudes and to cooler sites,.  The result is that viticulturalists may be forced to look to different forms of canopy management to guarantee the proper fruit balance.   While 15.2 degrees has been accepted traditionally as the upper limit of average temperatures from growing Riesling, this boundry is not fixed in stone.

If temperatures continue their rise over the coming years  and rainfall patterns change, warmer regions with lots of sunshine hours like the Clare or Eden Valleys in Australia may have to adapt.  Climatologists predict that 2010 is predicted to be the hottest year on record worldwide.

Tags: global warming, r, Riesling