Global Wine Production Declines This Year Cheers To Climate Change

The wine production is slowing down by 5 percent this 2016 due to climate change. This affects most the wine production, particularly in Chile and Argentina.

The human-induced climate change affects the wine production all around the world adversely. The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) stated that the production of wine this 2016, which is the hottest records began, was the insufficient 26 billion liters (5.7 billion gallons). This is recorded as the lowest wine production rate for the last two decades, according to IFL Science.

The wine production this 2016 in Chile and Argentina has declined by 21 and 35 percent, respectively. In Africa, it crashed down to 19 percent in wine production rates. On the other hand, Italy managed to raise the wine production this 2016. It is followed by France, Spain, U.S., Australia and China. Australia and New Zealand are expected to augment their production by 5 percent and 35 percent respectively.

Jean-Marie Aurand, OIV's chief executive, said that the El Nino climate phenomenon seems to be back in Latin America, where the wine production was affected by exceptional weather, with lots of rain. The El Nino affects the rainfall patterns and causes flooding and drought. This happens every four or five years, according to the Guardian.

It is reported that across the world, the researchers discovered that every degree centigrade of warming pushes grape harvest forward roughly six or seven days. Yves Tourre, climate scientists said that this could make pinot noir grapes unsuitable for many parts of Burgundy.

"Some people may still be skeptical about global warming, but not anyone in the wine industry," said Liz Thach, a professor of management and wine business at Sonoma State University. She further said that everyone believes it because everyone sees it year by year---it's here, it's real, it's not going away.