STAznanost

French oenologist suggests refošk be planted in Bordeaux

Koper, 18 July - Refošk is a grape family that yields a popular red wine variety native to the Slovenian Primorska region. Now, the acclaimed French oenologist Nicolas Vivas suggests it could be planted in the famous French wine growing region of Bordeaux to help French producers cope with climate change.

The suggestion to add refošk to the list of wine varieties allowed in the Bordeaux region was published in the prestigious Decanter wine magazine, one of the most notable and influential publications in the field, after Vivas visited Vinakoper, the world's largest producer of refošk.

The Bordeaux list already contains a few red wine varieties, including fruity ones, the head oenologist of Vinakoper Boštjan Zidar told the STA. Refošk, known in Italy as refosco, still stands out, however.

"We take pride in having this variety in our vineyards and having it recognised by the French, who are very conservative when it comes to adding new varieties to their vineyards. We are also very happy that the potential of refošk to adapt to climate change is finally being recognised," said Zidar.

Refošk producers do not have to worry as much as others, he explained, as its low pH value and juicy acidity solve several of the problems that viticulture faces due to climate change, even though the latter has also affected Slovenia.

Wine producers have been noticing that grapes ripen faster. This changes the acids, which are being lost faster, and pH values are increasing. "Consequently, wine producers who wish to produce excellent wines are forced to pick the grapes earlier in the year," said Zidar.

Bordeaux has been calling attention to the consequences of climate change for years. As the leading force in viticulture research and oenology, they are in search of measures to preserve the quality of their world-famous wines. The high pH level leads to wine losing its fruitiness, which has been one of the biggest challenges.

Vivas, who has been working in oenology since 1986 and is considered a specialist for polyphenols and tannins in red wine, believes refošk could be the solution.

It is too soon to say what this year's harvest will be like. Zidar says, however, that both the vines and the grapes are in good health.

"We had plenty of precipitation in the spring, the water supply was abundant. We have had some issues with diseases, so our winegrowers had to make an effort to keep the vines and the grapes in good health. Currently, we have plenty of sun. It all depends on the weather in the future. We hope there will be no hail," he said.

Vinakoper is planning on starting this year's picking after 15 August, when grapes for sparkling wine will be harvested. The next steps will depend on the ripening of the grapes, said Zidar.