As we’ve previously covered in our climate change series, the health of any given grape vine is largely dependent on its climate and its differences over time. But pests and diseases can also pose a major threat to the livelihood of vintners — and climate change makes both of these problems infinitely worse.
Consider how phylloxera decimated the European wine industry in the mid- to late 1800s. When pests bit into grapevines, they either directly infected the vines with a disease or made the vines more vulnerable to diseases floating around in the atmosphere. Similar outbreaks can happen anywhere in the world at any time. Making matters worse, climactic shifts can cause pests to migrate from one vineyard to another, as well as allow some infections to infiltrate grapevines more easily via something called “infection pressure.”
But never fear, wine lovers. On this episode of “Wine 101,” Keith discusses these pesky pest migrations and disease threats, then talks about how vintners far and wide are fighting the good fight against them. Tune in for more.
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“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. Big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme song. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.
*Image retrieved from HENADZY via stock.adobe.com
The article Wine 101: Wine And Climate Change Part V: Pests And Disease appeared first on VinePair.