My advisor calls it a classic first-world problem… But if a beautifully written article can uncork curiosity in wine lovers and get them swirling the issue of climate change around their minds — isn’t that progress, one pour at a time?
Lara Williams from bloomberg has this excellent opinion article about climate change affecting Champagne quality:
Is Champagne’s Bubble About to Burst?
TL;DR: warming temperatures makes grapes to ripe ealier and aggregates more sugar. This brings challenge to harvest and quality control. The increase of extreme weather condition (late frosts, hail, mildew, heatwaves, and droughts etc) brings in extra challenge for vineyards. Beyond climate, Champagne is also battling falling sales (down 9.2% in 2024) and growing competition from more affordable fizz like prosecco. Nevertheless, champagne remains symbolic — it is a “fun-to-pop” artifact of culture and history — prompting debates over how much change is too much for a drink that defines celebration.
The author also somewhat justifies the “first-world problem” critique:
In the face of devastating extreme weather events and the breakdown of our vital ecosystems, the survival of something as frothy as champagne may not be a priority. But the industry creates 30,000 direct jobs in a creative and scientific endeavor that’s rooted in the earth, an expression of the planet as culture and history and merriment. It’s our humanity in a bottle — fun to pop open and a tickle going down. As the French might say, à notre santé!