Climate change is no doubt a headache for winemakers. But right now it’s coming with the sweet aftertaste of what’s looking like the best Bordeaux vintage in years.
As Bloomberg notes, in 2016, France’s southwestern wine-growing region had a wet spring, a bone-dry summer, and warm autumn days with cool evenings, which prevented the grapes from rotting in September and October. It’s a formula for fresh-tasting wine—predicted to be the best in six years—and it won’t come cheap. Prices for 2016 Bordeaux will likely be 10% higher than last year, Bloomberg reports. (The dent in the wallet will be especially deep for Brits, whose currency has weakened against the euro since last year’s Brexit vote.)
It’s a welcome turnaround for the region’s winegrowers. Prices had peaked in 2011 following a bout of speculative buying, but then fell sharply following poor harvests, based on the Liv-ex Bordeaux 500 wine index.
So stock up while you can—especially you, United Airlines. The experts say you won’t be sorry. As Financial Times wine columnist Jancis Robinson puts it, 2016 ”is a bit of a miracle vintage from the meteorological point of view.”