The NYT has an article on how hybrid grape varieties are gaining importance in the fight against climate change.

“The climate crisis has affected wine regions with a speed and force beyond what anybody had predicted. In addition to global warming, wine regions have experienced more frequent catastrophic weather events, like hail, drought and spring frosts, along with devastating bouts with fungal diseases and insect infestations. …

“To say hybrids have hit the mainstream would be an exaggeration. It’s just scattered farmers here and there, in France, Germany, New Zealand and Virginia, for example, who are joining growers in regions like Vermont, the Midwest and parts of Canada, where the weather, either too hot and humid or too cold, required alternatives to vinifera grapes. But even the world’s most historic wine regions like Champagne and Burgundy are beginning tentative experiments with hybrids in their effort to adapt to the changing climate.”

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