Urville - After languishing in the shadow
of the Chardonnay and Pinot vines that turn out France's famed bubbly, four
lesser known Champagne grapes are getting an unlikely boost thanks to climate
change.
Despite their low-profile, Arbane, Petit
Meslier, Fromentot and Blanc Vrai are all traditional varietals in this prized
region in northeast France and even boast the government-regulated AOC label
that authenticates them as genuine Champagne grapes.
But for years they were relegated to the
back seat of viniculture following two dramatic episodes that decimated the
vineyards of Champagne - the blight caused by the phylloxera aphid that hit in
the late 19th century and wreaked havoc for several years, then later World War
I.
Instead wine-makers opted for the more
consistent quality and yield of Pinot noir, Meunier and Chardonnay that have
taken centre stage for almost a century.
Today, the rarer grapes that take longer to
mature are grown on only 0.3% of the 34 000 hectares that produce France's
treasured sparkling wine.
"If these varietals were forgotten,
there's a reason. It's true they are fragile and once every five years they
just don't ripen," admitted Michel Drappier, a winemaker in the Urville
area of Champagne province.
But he never gave up and today devotes some
of his best land to these "lost" fruits, which he grows organically.
"It is my duty to maintain this heritage, to preserve biodiversity and to
try to bring the best out of these grapes," he said.
And his efforts are starting to pay off.
White flowers, citrus fruits
While farmers in large swathes of the
developing world suffer the negative impact of climate change, Drappier says
the 2015 harvest of these neglected varietals proved exceptionally good thanks
to a scorching summer.
"Grapes are a Mediterranean plant,
they need warmth and the rise in temperatures due to climate change has had a
good impact on the quality of our wines in Champagne," said Drappier.
"That includes our old, more
capricious varietals which may now face a brighter future."
Drappier's 50 acres of Arbane, for example,
are set to produce 5 000kgs of grapes a hectare this year - only three times
less than the more heavily used Pinot noir variety.
Passionate about his trade, the winegrower
readily admits he has a soft spot for the white Arbane that grows in small
bunches of little berries and may have all but disappeared without devotees
like Drappier.
Arbane was "probably brought here by
the Romans. Its origin remains a mystery, a study of its genome failed to
unveil its parentage," he said.
He credits these rare grapes - Arbane,
Petit Meslier and Blanc Vrai, which he blends with the more classic Chardonnay
- for giving the unique taut, mineral, citrus aroma to a special, 3 000-bottle
batch called "Quattuor" he now produces annually.
Warm summers
Two other estates, Moutard and Tarlant, are
also making Champagne from these traditional varietals amidst a growing niche
market for "authentic" flavours of days gone by - similar to the
"foody" trends reviving heirloom fruits and vegetables.
At the Interprofessional Champagne Wines
Committee (CIVC), specialists are closely watching the impact of global warming
on the grapes.
"For the moment, it is totally
beneficial," said Dominique Moncomble, CIVC's technical director.
"Since the 1990s, we have observed
that flowering and harvests have been occurring about two weeks earlier than
usual," he added.
Grapes are now also bigger, healthier and
with an alcohol content that is higher by about a degree. Higher carbon dioxide
levels in the atmosphere, meanwhile, are found to be beneficial for
photosynthesis.
"We are looking at future scenarios
that take into account possible changes in climate," said Moncomble.
"In this context, these so-called
forgotten varietals deserve our attention, and not just because of their
heritage."
