Chianti and climate change

In particular, enology faces a difficult challenge since wine is affected by rising temperatures, and the risk is that the geographies of viticulture will be upset and the very identity of a product so linked to human culture and history will be compromised.
And the territories that are most suited – by history and productive capacity – to vine cultivation are already grappling with climate change and its consequences, such as Tuscany, which for years has been questioning a salient issue: could climate change risk modifying the taste of Chianti, a wine symbolic of this territory, known and loved throughout the world?

Chianti and climate change is therefore a current and debated topic, not only for the taste of wine but also for the economic and social impact that rising temperatures can have. With climate change, it is necessary to advance the harvest: it is no coincidence that in recent years it has been brought forward from October to September, if not even to late August. Beyond the advanced harvest – which consequently modifies all the winemaking timelines – it also affects yield, which is lower with the consequence of less product being put on the market, but also a smaller number of human resources involved in the processing, with social and economic repercussions on the entire territory.

The grape varieties intended for Chianti are severely affected by climate upheaval. Some of these changes can also influence important vine functions, especially those linked to organic matter content, salinity and water availability, particularly in varieties such as Sangiovese. Changes in the quantities and composition of sugars and acids, the higher ethanol content and the modification of flavour are some of the characteristics of wine that can be correlated to higher temperatures. The vine is, therefore, the great disadvantaged in this whirlwind process in which intervention is needed as soon as possible, in order to preserve and safeguard the good terroir of Chianti.