Rising temperatures across parts of Russia are opening the possibility to cultivate grapes farther north than today, though such shifts may intensify competition with other crops for land, water, and infrastructure. This observation came from Vladimir Gorchakov, head of the ACRA Sustainable Development Risk Assessment Group, cited by RIA News.
Projections indicate that by the end of this century, as much as 90% of traditional wine-growing regions could be either lost or significantly transformed due to global warming. Regions most at risk include the lowlands and coastal zones of southern France, northern Spain, southern Italy, California, and Australia, where climate patterns have historically supported established wine industries.
Climate change is expected to bring more frequent and severe heat waves, altered humidity and temperature cycles, and longer stretches of sunny days. These shifts will influence grape varieties, harvest windows, and wine profiles, according to Gorchakov.
He also pointed out that cultivating grapes in new areas will necessitate additional resources for irrigation, earlier harvests, and careful storage, though precise cost estimates will require two to three years of data and analysis.
These issues were highlighted in discussions around SPIEF, where attention to developing wine tourism and the broader agricultural economy in Russia was part of the conversation.