Winemakers in France and other countries are celebrating this year's hot weather and the very early harvest. This is especially true in the UK where the hot sunshine is also ripening the grapes early and providing a high quality harvest.
Wine makers should not be celebrating too soon, as the prospects for grape growing could be taking a turn for the worse in the near future. Climate change is happening faster than expected. We are all going to suffer the effects of severe weather owing to extreme weather. Not only is excessive drought bad for grape growing but also excessive rain.
With regard to drought, irrigation is not regarded as an ideal solution the vines may produce undesirable higher yields which reduce the quality of the grapes. Irrigation can also damage the soil itself as it often results in excessive salinity which can only be cleared by natural rainfall. In fact, countries like France and Spain ban irrigation although this policy is now under review.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrigation_in_viticulture
If, drought is a danger to viticulture then so is persistent heavy rain which can damage the soil in the vineyard and damage the grapes in the form of mold.
Extreme weather is also affecting the vineyards in the form of hail.
Viticulture requires a fine climatic balance of sun, humidity and rainfall. Frosts at the right time of year also help to kill insect pests in the vineyard.
About fifteen years ago I read a book by Fred Pearce, a climate journalist, called the "The Last Generation" which journals the dire consequences of human induced climate change. I was rather sceptical then that I would see the his predictions come to fruition in my life time, but I was wrong. This book is worth reading. We could lose our fine wines altogether if we our not careful and be faced with the prospect of drinking industrialised wine made from grapes grown in gigantic irrigated cloches - no thanks.
The first page of Fred Pearce's book quotes James Hansen a climate researcher of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies - made in 2005:
"We are on the precipice of climate system tipping points beyond which there is no redemption".
