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In Northern France, Warming Presses Fall Grape Harvest Into Summertime
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"We have to stay in contact with the climate and the 'terroir,' " said Mur?, tromping between the rows of leafy vines heavy with the last of this year's purple pinot noir grapes. "We have to adapt. It's a question of survival."
"Terroir" is an ephemeral French description of the soil, slope, climate and locality that give each wine label its unique flavor and aroma.
But Mur? is discovering that the regimentation of the French wine production system that has allowed climate change to be documented so accurately is now threatening to undermine the very industry it was designed to protect.
Before he can plant the experimental grapes, Mur? must obtain the permission of the powerful Alsace Wine Association, watchdog of the region's viniculture reputation and tradition. Without its approval, said his daughter, V?ronique, planting different grapes would be "as illegal as planting marijuana" under French wine laws.
"Of course, we have to adapt to climate changes," said Boesch, the association president and a wine grower. But he added, "We have to preserve our identity. Our identity is not Syrah, it's Riesling.
Scientists warn that climate change is advancing too rapidly for the cumbersome French wine bureaucracy.
"Some vintners, like Ren? Thomas, are ahead of others," said Philippe Kuntzmann, a grapevine specialist at Interprofessional Technical Center for Vines and Wine in the Alsace regional capital of Colmar. "Others are more traditional; they want to wait and see. If you wait too long, it will be too late."
Mur?'s daughter, who studied agronomy and biology in college, said she sees change as the only way to pass the Mur? heritage on to her 2 1/2 -year-old daughter, Margaux (as in the wine), and the son she is expecting to deliver in November.
"Yes, it's a radical idea," she said. "We don't say tomorrow we'll get rid of pinot noir and replace it with Syrah. It takes years and years to see the results in winemaking. We think it will be investing in the future to have this experiment."
Researcher Corinne Gavard contributed to this report.
