Is altitude an Eldorado for wines?
In the face of global warming, climbing to higher altitudes to lose a few degrees and preserve the freshness of wines seems an attractive solution. But what does mountain viticulture really entail?
High-altitude wine. A simple formula can conjure up a whole cocktail of sensations. Freshness of air, purity of space, fluidity of flow. What better image in a context of global warming, when some vineyards are struggling to maintain the balance of their wines?
the wines of Savoy come quickly to mind, even if the vines are located at an average altitude of 400 meters. The idea of viticulture at altitude also applies to vineyards less characterized by their peaks, such as Alsace, the Loire, Auvergne and Roussillon. In the south, where wines are generally more prone to sugar and alcohol build-up, altitude is even touted on some labels as a credit to renewal.
But is altitude really the projected Eldorado?
In the Trièves region of Isère, France, Jérémy Bricka works between 550 and 700 meters above sea level in the middle of the massifs. Thanks to the 3-degree drop in temperature compared with 300 meters lower down, and above all to the wide temperature range between the heat of the day and the coolness of the night, the grapes ripen slowly and without any stress likely to halt their development. Sugar levels don't spike until the skins and stalks have reached phenolic maturity. As a result, the wines are fully ripe, with low alcoholic degrees and preserved acidity.
"In 2023, the heat wave didn't spare the grapes in nearby Savoie and burned their acids. Here, I was able to harvest a month later and keep a fresh profile in my wines", illustrates the winemaker. However, this advantage comes at a financial and physical cost. Working on slopes is difficult to mechanize, and is sometimes swept away by cold currents or snow.
Animal pressure
In this environment, at an altitude of 1300 meters in the Pyrenees, in the hamlet of Bajande, Wilfried Garcia has planted two hectares of vines with a wide variety of grape varieties to test their adaptation. This year, his first wines proved to be very fresh: "Wines at 11 degrees that seem 14 because of their ripeness", but most of the production was swallowed up by frost, which is likely to strike over a longer period at higher altitudes. All the more problematic as unstable temperatures lead to unexpected bud break, as is the case everywhere in the vineyard.
"We underestimate the investment required in the high mountains," realized the winemaker. The risk is greater, given the more violent phenomena, whether hail or thunderstorms. Another heavy pressure on this unspoilt wilderness is the fact that hares, deer, badgers and birds flock to this isolated patch of fruit. "With fences and nets at extra cost, the plots become bunkers."
Slow fermentation
angela Weidner and Maxime Aerts have set up their winery at an altitude of 1,600 meters, amidst cross-country skiers and tugboats. The wines ferment gently thanks to the deep cold of the Hautes-Alpes winter. The couple moved to the Gard four years ago for the living environment, the balance of their wines and that of their family. At first, they were won over by this forgotten viticultural territory. No need for expensive cooling equipment or additives to balance the wines.
Then Angela and Maxime discovered the isolation, the 45-minute drive to the first analysis laboratory. The space monopolized by the maturing process forces them to keep to a small area, which is more fragile economically. Despite this, the duo are looking ahead: "In addition to the 45 grape varieties identified in our plots, we have chosen to plant varieties from around Mont Blanc, such as mollard, persan or petite arvine."
Which ones will adapt? Above all, under what conditions will they be able to evolve?
people talk about climate change, and rightly so," says Trièves winemaker Jérémy Bricka. The weather is unpredictable. We prepare our vines for excess heat, but this year's vintage was very cool and the problem was rather the opposite. We're in the unknown." Wilfried Garcia makes a similar observation in the Pyrenees: "The morbid drought that has affected Roussillon for the last three years hasn't spared the mountains. There is no Eldorado, risk is everywhere."
- Domaine Jérémy Bricka: 38710 Mens, Trièves
- Domaine Cotzé (Wilfried Garcia): 66800 Hameau de Bajande, Cerdagne
- Domaine Les Raisins Suspendus (Angela Weidner and Maxime Aerts): 05200 Saint-Sauveur, Hautes-Alpes
