Culture & Design

Climate Change Is Altering the Taste of the World’s Great Wines

From Napa to Sweden, be prepared for flavor fluctuations.
Photographer: Martin Sundberg/Uppercut RF

When we grab a bottle off a retail shelf, we have expectations about the wine’s smell and taste. Some Champagnes are richer and rounder than others, but all share refreshing acidity and bright, edgy, mineral, and chalk flavors that wake up taste buds. In 2019 the region’s grapes were very ripe, but because they were balanced by superhigh acidity, the classic style prevailed this year.

Harvests will not always be that way.