Wine, like other cultivated crops, have been affected by the global increase in temperature over the past centuries. Places that were once disregarded as locations for vineyards have now become the go-to locations for wine making. 

This includes the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Brittany in France, and even as far north as Sweden. Those who have tried to maintain their original locations in places like South Africa’s Western Cape have seen a reduction the growing season, and harvesting dates, that have been shortened by as much as 10 days over just a 40 year period. It is immediately obvious that there is recognition for the real impact that the change in temperature experienced will not relent. 

Familia Torres, one of the largest wine producers in Spain, has even made the investment in property in the Pyrenees foothills at an elevation of over 4,000 feet. If a corporation is making a large investment in (now) cool climate locations, what does this signal for those locations that are already winemaking regions. Clearly, these groups believe that there is no returning to the climate conditions of the past centuries and now they must make investments in the future. A future when the foothills of the Pyrenees is as fruitful for winemaking as Napa Valley in California.