Stop What You're Doing, Global Warming Is Threatening Wine

Climate change deniers need to wake up and feel the heat, because global warming is affecting something very important: wine.

According to new analysis, increased summer temperatures in the Mediterranean are slowing the production of wine, threatening (delicious) supplies from hotter countries.

It’s all because workers are struggling to maintain productivity levels under the sun.

“Given the increase in environmental temperature during the past five millennia in regions such as the Mediterranean, the workers who currently pick the grapes carry out their jobs under adverse environmental conditions,” the study reads.

“In Cyprus, for instance, the mean maximum temperature in August (the main part of the harvest season) is around 36°C. These working conditions would be considered a heat-wave in central European countries such as Germany.”

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The researchers analysed the productivity levels of manual grape-picking workers in Cyprus to study the impact of heat on labour output.

They followed the workers at different times of the year to see if temperature made a difference.

During the summer when temperatures often reached 36°C, a significant labor loss of up to 27% was recorded.

The researchers put this down to increased perceived exertion on worker’s metabolic and cardiovascular systems, resulting in reduced output.

During hotter months, there was also a 15% decrease in the amount of time workers were able to carry out their duties due to the increased need for irregular and unplanned work breaks.

With the wine industry comprising of 0.2% of world GDP, increased temperatures from global warming may negatively impact the industry and even potentially result in large losses worldwide, they said.

For this study, the authors specifically chose to study grape-picking workers, as the production of wine is still largely dominated by manual labor unlike other industries and therefore the effects of global warming on workers in this industry is highly likely to more prevalent.

The authors warned that this research should not be considered an exhaustive large scale study of the impact of global warming on agriculture workers, and broader studies involving more workers and different locations should be undertaken in order to full assess the full impact.

The research is published in full in the journal Temperature.

7 Reasons You Should Drink More Wine

It Can Boost Self Esteem(01 of07)

A new study from the Universities of Helsinki and Tampere in Finland found that moderate wine drinking can have a positive affect on our confidence.

The study of more than 2,500 people aged 18-69 found those who had a glass of wine or two with dinner were the most likely to have good mental health and rate their self esteem as "high". (credit:Christopher Malcolm via Getty Images)

It Can Give You A Healthy Heart(02 of07)

Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grapes and red wine, has long been associated with cutting the risk of heart disease.

A 2015 study published in the journal Nature found that resveratrol may protect the body against age-related diseases, including heart disease, by prompting an evolutionary defence mechanism which guards human cells against genetic damage.

Study author Matthew Sajish commented: "Based on these results, it is conceivable that moderate consumption of a couple of glasses of red wine would give a person enough resveratrol to evoke a protective effect via this pathway." (credit:Neyya via Getty Images)

It Has Similar Benefits To Exercise(03 of07)

Research conducted by the University of Alberta suggested that a drinking a glass of red wine is the equivalent of spending an hour exercising in the gym.

The researchers found that resveratrol in red wine improved an individual's physical performance, heart function and muscle strength in the same way that they improved after a gym session.

"I think resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise but are physically incapable," lead researcher Jason Dyck said.

"Resveratrol could mimic exercise for them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that they can do." (credit:Thomas Barwick via Getty Images)

It Can Help You Lose Weight(04 of07)

A study from Washington State University found that resveratrol found in berries, grapes and other fruits in wine could aid weight loss.

According to the researchers, resveratrol has the ability to convert excess white fat into brown or beige fat, which is easier to burn off. (credit:Julia Davila-Lampe via Getty Images)

It Can Make You More Attractive(05 of07)

Forget everything you thought you knew about beer goggles. A study by the University of Bristol found that drinking one glass of wine can make you look more attractive - even if your date is sober.

The study noted that a small amount of alcohol may cause blood to rush to the cheeks, giving a rosy (and perhaps more attractive) complexion.

However, two glasses of wine was found to make participants less attractive than they were when sober - so moderation is key. (credit:Glow Images, Inc via Getty Images)

It May Help Fight Breast Cancer Risk(06 of07)

A 2011 study found that resveratrol found in red wine blocks the cancer-fuelling effects of the female hormone oestrogen.

Scientists in Italy used several lines of breast cancer cells, including some that were therapy resistant, to test the effects of the compound. They found that exposure to the chemical led to significant reductions in cell growth.

"Resveratrol is a potential pharmacological tool to be exploited when breast cancer becomes resistant to hormonal therapy," said study leader Dr Sebastanio Ando, from the University of Calabria. (credit:Purestock via Getty Images)

It Could Reduce Your Dementia Risk(07 of07)

A study at the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen found that people who drink wine weekly or monthly are two times less likely to develop dementia.

For the study, the researchers identified the drinking patterns for wine, beer and liquor of 1,709 people in Copenhagen in the 1970s and then assessed them for dementia in the 1990s, when they were age 65 or older.

Over the two decades, 83 of the participants developed dementia. Their alcohol intake was compared to that of those who did not develop dementia. (credit:Holger Leue via Getty Images)

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