Climate change is fermenting the wine industry

Bennett Purser and Kai Ryssdal Nov 6, 2019
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Murre Sofrakis, the winemaker at Fladie vineyard in southern Sweden. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

Climate change is fermenting the wine industry

Bennett Purser and Kai Ryssdal Nov 6, 2019
Murre Sofrakis, the winemaker at Fladie vineyard in southern Sweden. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images
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For many winemakers around the world, warmer temperatures associated with climate change could affect the taste of their products. More heat can lead to more alcohol content, which alters the flavor. Wine from usually colder regions could also flourish, producing its own distinct taste.

“Sweden has about 30 to 40 vineyards now,” said Elin McCoy, author and wine critic for Bloomberg News. “There’s a new vineyard up on one of the Norwegian fjords at the same latitude as Alaska, so that is a real change.”

McCoy spoke with “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal about how vineyards are adapting to a changing climate.

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