Climate change impact on climate suitability for wine production in Romania

Abstract

Climate change modifies the viticultural potential of wine regions, their specific wine styles and even the limits of viticulture area on the globe. The significant impact of climate change on viticulture requires in-depth studies of its consequences, in order to identify adaptation measures. This research analyzes the changes in climatic suitability for wine production in Romania between 1961 and 2013 as an effect of climate change. The study is based on gridded data at 10 × 10 km resolution of average daily temperature, precipitation and sunshine duration from 1961 to 2013, interpolated from about 150 weather stations across Romanian territory and recorded in the ROCADA database. Climate suitability for wine production is expressed through the means and spatial distribution for 1961 to 1990 and 1991 to 2013 periods of the oenoclimate aptitude index (IAOe) that integrates the influence of temperature, sunshine duration and precipitation on the grapevine. The results of the study reveal a 2.4 million ha expansion of the area with climate suitable for wine production on Romanian territory; a 180-m increase in altitude with climate suitable for wine production, up to a current maximum of 835 m asl; a northward shift of about 0.036° of area with climate suitable for wine production; the tendency to altering the climate suitability for wine production at regional level, by decreasing climate suitability for white wines and replacing it with climate suitability for red wines. The study allows in-depth analysis from a spatial perspective of the shifts caused by climate change in the wine areas, constituting a solid support for developing strategies of viticulture adaptation to the new climatic context.