It is no secret that the world is on the brink of major upheaval as global warming is heating up our planet, raising water levels, and is set to render our favourite holiday destinations barren deserts. Among having numerous other effects, global warming is also set to change the way we farm our crops, because if we don't change our methods nothing will prosper in the coming years. The wine grape has traditionally been harvested all over the mediterranean region to great effect, producing luscious whites and full-bodied reds for the world to enjoy. However, if vintners continue to maintain their vineyards as they have done for centuries we may be left high and dry in the search for a decent European wine.

Some wine experts believe that by 2050 areas such as southern Italy, the Iberian Peninsula, Australia, California, South Africa and southern France will not be able to grow wine grapes at all as they will not survive the searing heat. Instead they could be reduced to growing raisins, which need baking temperatures to shrivel up. In order to combat the effects of the rising heat, vintners in the northern hemisphere are switching their vines to north-facing slopes, inviting a cooler climate than the hot south-facing slopes. In addition to this, grapes are now picked on average 2 weeks earlier than they were 20 years ago and that is due to a rise in temperature all over the southern European region. It's quite unfortunate that the wine industry has to suffer at the hands of global warming, as it is not at all a major contributor to the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Indeed, former US vice president and climate change campaigner Al Gore sung the industry's praises at the recent Climate Change and Wine Conference in Barcelona stating that they are only responsible for 0.1 % of global emissions, and commended them for their carbon offsetting initiatives.

Another major factor contributing to the bleak outlook for the wine industry is the fact that we are also facing water shortages the world over. Vincente Sanchez, the president of the Spanish Federation of Enology Associations says, "Climate change will lead to a 15 percent depletion of water resources around 2030 if we consider only a 1 degree increase. With a 2.5 degree increase in temperature, there will be a 17 percent depletion of water by 2060 and an 8 percent drop in overall wine production."

Although there is set to be major change, there is hope on the horizon for those countries who have in the past not been able to even consider viticulture as a viable source of income. Northern European states such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland & England all look to benefit from an increase in temperatue on their shores as they will be able to cultivate quality wines. Until now, Ireland has only been able to produce good sparkling wines, but it could soon be a nation renowned for its full-bodied reds.

With this change in temperature, we'll be seeing an emergence of wines whose grapes ripen in higher heats, such as Zinfandel, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the heat will also contribute to the alcohol content of the fruit. It has been reported that in Alsace alcohol levels are the highest for three decades, even though harvest dates have been moved back from October 1st to September 1st. This is also due to the fact that there is high demand for strongly alcoholic wines at the moment, however if our taste buds are already getting used to stronger flavours, that may be no bad thing seeing as we're headed that way already!