BORDEAUX, France – April 17, 2019 – As socio-economic sectors across the world begin to feel the consequences of global climate change, its future impacts on the wine and spirits industry are growing increasingly clear. Vinexpo Bordeaux 2019, the world’s leading meeting place for wine and spirits professionals, will address the issue head-on with a groundbreaking symposium—its first ever—on May 14, the second day of its four-day show in the wine capital of the world, Bordeaux, France. The full-day symposium will include three conferences exploring the effects of climate change on the world’s vineyards, vineyard management and winemaking, and the wine economy, respectively. Offered in association with Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council and moderated by CNN correspondent Jim Bittermann, the sessions will bring together some of the world’s foremost scientists, economists, academics and wine industry professionals, and will be followed by expert roundtables and debates.
In addition to its inaugural symposium, Vinexpo Bordeaux 2019 will feature four full days of exhibitions, networking opportunities, and educational sessions. It will be held at Bordeaux’s Parc des Expositions, just 20 minutes from the historic town center and some of the world’s most storied vineyards. Attendees can register online at a special price of €40 through May 12; the price will increase to €60 online or at the door starting May 13.
The Impact of Climate Change on Global Vineyards
With certain consequences already visible in socio-economic sectors across the world, global climate change is an undeniable reality. This conference will explore the growing impacts of declining water supplies, more frequent extreme weather events and rising temperatures on grapevines—a notoriously sensitive crop—and the viticulture industry at large. Joining Bittermann will be special guest speakers Michel Jarraud, secretary-general emeritus of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization, and Jean-Robert Pitte, president of the Society of Geography and the French Wine Academy and former president of the Sorbonne.
The conference will be followed by an interview with master of wine Jeannie Cho Lee, MW, and conclude with a roundtable, How to Produce and Adapt in Unstable Environmental Conditions. Keynote speakers for the roundtable include Laurent Panigai, oenologist and deputy director general of the Wine Center – Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte; Jonathan Ducourt, sales and marketing manager of Vignobles Ducourt; and Catherine Le Page, managing director of National Cognac Office. Also participating via a recorded interview will be Gregory V. Jones, director of the Evenstad Center for Wine Education, Evenstad chair in Wine Studies, and professor of environmental studies at Linfield College in Oregon.
The Impact of Climate Change on Vineyard Management and Winemaking
In a partnership with Wine Spectator, this conference will identify climate-related changes that are already being observed in vine physiology and wine quality and explore solutions under development by leading researchers around the world to reduce future impacts on the wine and spirits industry. Special guest speakers will be Philippe Mauguin, president of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and Brice LaLonde, former minister of the environment and president of the Académie de l’eau.
A debate moderated by Wine Spectator’s Dana Nigro will follow, exploring the topic “How can research and technologies support producers in their evolution and adaptation strategies?” Panelists include Katie Jackson, vice president of sustainability at Jackson Family Farms; Dan Johnson, PhD, managing director of The Australian Wine Research Institute; Pau Roca, director general of the International Organization of Vine and Wine; and Miguel Torres Jr., president of Bodegas Torres in Spain and a member of Primum Familiae Vini Institute.
The Impact of Climate Change on the Wine Economy
Global warming poses serious economic repercussions on wine and spirits consumption, impacting the regional and global balances of supply and demand. Already, rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall are shifting the boundaries of wine-growing regions, threatening production in some of the world’s most time-honored territories while creating new opportunities in regions to the north. Special guest speaker Patrice Geoffron, professor of economics at the University Paris-Dauphine, will present a global foresight study at the conference, which will be followed by two roundtables.
The first roundtable, “How do Wine Producers Integrate Climate Change into their Business Strategy?”, will feature Christian de Boissieu, economist and professor of economics at Paris | Sorbonne; Antonio Amorim, CEO of Antonio Amorim in Portugal; and Eduardo Chadwick, CEO of Viña Errazuriz in Chile. The second, “Who are the Winners of Climate Change? Where are the New El Dorados?” will bring together Pedro Ferrer, vice president and CEO of Freixenet; Bruno Kessler, chief winemaker at InVivo Wine; and Éric Giraud-Héraud, economist and deputy director of Institute of Grape and Wine Science.
Bringing the conference to a close will be Judith Adrien, a communications officer at the United Nations Climate Change secretariat in Bonn, Germany. Adrien’s remarks will focus on the secretariat’s main lines of intervention to combat the global climate change threat.
About Vinexpo
Since its establishment in Bordeaux in 1981, on the initiative of Bordeaux Gironde’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vinexpo has been a leading organizer of events for the wine and spirits industry. In 38 years, Vinexpo has developed a unique understanding of the market and an extensive network of key distributors around the world. The brand currently runs exhibitions in five set locations (Bordeaux, Hong Kong, New York, and soon Shanghai and Paris), and the touring event Vinexpo Explorer. Every year, the Group also publishes the Vinexpo/IWSR Report, which is the most comprehensive survey on the global consumption of wine and spirits.
For more information, visit www.vinexpo.com. Join Vinexpo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
