The wine industry has been experiencing quite a few changes and is working to adapt their practices to continue producing proper wines. Responding to climate change is a major theme in most countries as summer heats up and water sources dwindle.
Increased temperatures result in overwhelming amounts of sugar, bulking up alcohol content that override flavors and tannins. While harvesting earlier may seem like a fair solution, it often results in unripe grapes with minimal flavor or tannins. Australians and New Zealanders have begun diluting the wine, known as the “humidification process”, which the U.S. has been practicing since 2001. California and South Africa have been most notably hit by water droughts – and have been recycling winery waste to maximize resources.
Source: Financial Times, February 2018