EcoWatch
Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    Home Food and Agriculture

    Some of Europe’s Most Popular Wines at Risk From Climate Crisis

    By: Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
    Published: July 17, 2023
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    Viticulture wine production fields in Ribeira Sacra, Spain
    Viticulture wine production in Ribeira Sacra, Spain, dates back to Roman times. Chencho Mendoza Photography / Moment Open / Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    Some of the most breathtaking and specialized wine regions in the world are also the most challenging to maintain.

    Vineyards in these areas are part of what is known as “heroic viticulture,” meaning the grapes are grown in extreme environments, such as altitudes of 1,640 feet or more above sea level, on slopes of 30 percent or higher grade, on small islands or on terraces, reported Cell Press.

    They are referred to as “heroic” because the grapes there are difficult to cultivate and harvest.

    “Viticulture becomes ‘heroic’ when practiced under extreme climatic, geomorphologic, and geographical conditions. Farmers are considered heroes because they deal with this ‘adverse’ environment every day, typically by purely manual operations without the use of mechanized tools,” researchers from the University of Padova wrote in a Backstory published in the journal iScience.

    More From EcoWatch
    • A Brief History of Solar Energy
    • The Best Solar Powered Water Pumps
    • What Are Off-Grid Solar Panel Systems?

    In addition to the inherent challenges of cultivating wine grapes in these regions, scientists are now concerned that extreme weather brought on by climate change, as well as shifting socioeconomic conditions, may present risks to crops and their cultural legacy, according to Cell Press.

    “The risk is not only losing an agricultural product or seeing a landscape change, negatively impacting the local economy,” the authors of the Backstory wrote. “The risk is losing entire communities’ history and their cultural roots.”

    Some of the world’s most celebrated wines come from the heroic viticulture regions of Portugal, Spain and Italy, including the Prosecco Hills, Cell Press reported.

    “Viticulture is one of the most relevant agricultural systems of steep-slope landscapes. In Europe, we can find some of the most famous sites and popular wines (e.g., Port wine, Prosecco, Passito),” the authors wrote. “Landscapes characterized by heroic viticulture have been recognized and protected by the United Nations, being inserted in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). Here, a virtuous combination of agronomic practice, famous wine, networks of restaurants, green tourism, and even religion and art (if churches are on the site) created an optimal condition for a circular economy and socioeconomic sustainability. Nevertheless, these landscapes are under threat [from the] changing climate.”

    These rare wines come under a multitude of climate-related threats, as the authors highlight in the Backstory.

    “The increased frequency of weather extremes driven by climate change accelerates soil degradation. Intense and localized rainfall events, if soil and water conservation solutions are not optimally adopted, can quickly trigger slope failures and widespread soil erosion processes on cultivated hillslopes. In addition, prolonged droughts, as we observed in Europe in 2022, could pose another criticality: sustainable water resources management on steep slopes,” the authors wrote.

    The authors went on to say that socioeconomic factors pose additional issues for the survival of heroic vineyards.

    “The last half past century has been characterized by rural exodus and a gradual abandonment of mountain landscapes. The new generation is unwilling to continue working under extreme conditions if economic benefits are insignificant.”

    Solutions such as small water storage systems that prevent runoff, as well as discussions and collaboration between farmers, scientists and consumers were suggested by the authors, reported Cell Press.

    “The key to success lies in combining the traditional knowledge of winemakers with innovation and scientific rigor,” the authors of the Backstory wrote. “In this way, farms can work closely with scientists to optimize investments for a more functional, sustainable, and safe agricultural landscape — a winning alliance to face these diverse natural and anthropogenic challenges.”

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Cristen is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. She holds a JD and an Ocean & Coastal Law Certificate from University of Oregon School of Law and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. She is the author of the short story collection The Smallest of Entryways, as well as the travel biography, Ernest’s Way: An International Journey Through Hemingway’s Life.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      Climate Change Degrades Nutritional Value of Crops, Study Finds
      Climate change is bad for food production in more ways
      By Paige Bennett
      Melting Glaciers Could Lead to More Frequent and Explosive Volcanic Eruptions: Study
      Ice loss from melting glaciers around the world due to
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      River Seine in Paris Reopens for Public Swimming for the First Time in 100 Years
      After more than a century, a ban on swimming in
      By Paige Bennett

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • Climate Change Degrades Nutritional Value of Crops, Study Finds
          by Paige Bennett
          July 11, 2025
        • Millions of Tons of Tiny Plastic Particles Are Polluting the Ocean, Study Finds
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          July 10, 2025
        • First Evidence of Potential Language-Like Communication in Dolphins: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          July 10, 2025
        • Melting Glaciers Could Lead to More Frequent and Explosive Volcanic Eruptions: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          July 9, 2025
        • Common Weedkiller Ingredient Harms Gut Bacteria and Multiple Organs: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          July 8, 2025
        • ‘Poisoning the Well’ Authors Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin on PFAS Contamination and Why It ‘Has Not Received the Attention It Deserves’
          by Craig Thompson
          July 8, 2025
        • River Seine in Paris Reopens for Public Swimming for the First Time in 100 Years
          by Paige Bennett
          July 7, 2025
        • Facing Climate Anxiety With Visual Comedy: ‘World Without End’ Graphic Artist Christophe Blain
          by Craig Thompson
          July 5, 2025
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 558k
          Twitter 222k
          Instagram 52k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more
          • Privacy Policy
          • Terms of Use
          • Cookie Preferences
          • Do Not Sell My Information
          © 2025 EcoWatch. All Rights Reserved.

          Advertiser Disclosure

          Our editorial team is committed to creating independent and objective content focused on helping our readers make informed decisions. To help support these efforts we receive compensation from companies that advertise with us.

          The compensation we receive from these companies may impact how and where products appear on this site. This compensation does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides within our content. We do not include all companies, products or offers that may be available.