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The Danish winemaker Peter Sisseck demands that the wineries on the right bank of the Bordelais should rethink their planting strategies. Sisseck owns the world-famous Pingus winery in Ribera del Duero as well as Château Rocheyron in St. Emilion. He wants to replace part of his Merlot vines with Cabernet Franc as a reaction to the constantly rising temperatures. This will increase the share of the grape variety at Château Rocheyron to 40 percent. The fast-ripening Merlot forms up to 15.5% potential alcohol in the warmer sites of St. Emilion, which makes the wines "taste too sweet and lush" for him.
Sisseck recommends "growing more Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Touriga Nacional to cope with global warming. At the moment there is too much Merlot in Bordeaux". He suspects that the varieties Malbec and Carmenère could return to their region of origin, Bordeaux. However, he does not want to give up Merlot completely. "Climate change does not necessarily mean that it will be warmer every year. Therefore, we must not rely exclusively on late-ripening grape varieties. We have to think ahead for the next 50 to 60 years and be pretty sure of what we are doing," he sums up. Spain, on the other hand, is currently more able to cope with climate change "because Spanish grape varieties are better adapted to warmer weather".
(al / Source: drinksbusiness; Photo: wikimedia Marianne Casamance)