Italian winemakers look to new technologies with old grape varieties to adapt to a changing climate

Massimo Tosoni paces through his vineyards, the rows stretching like ribbons of green under a relentless sun. In the distance, the town of Tarquinia sits on a hilltop once ruled by the ancient Etruscans.

“Look at the rows of vineyards there,” he said, gesturing past a local red grape, Ciliegiolo, known for its cherry-like aroma. “The earth is as dry and hard as stone.”

The 73-year-old shakes his head. It’s the result of soil unwatered for too long, where the sun has sucked out every last drop of life, blocking reabsorption of water.

Italy’s vineyards, like much of the world’s, are grappling with summers that are hotter and longer, erratic weather and dwindling water.

These shifts are forcing winemakers to rethink one of the oldest assumptions in their craft: terroir, the delicate interplay of soil, sun, wind, rain and human touch that gives each wine its specific taste, some might say, soul.

If global temperatures rise more than 2 C by century’s end, studies suggest up to 90 per cent of Italy’s lowland and coastal wine regions — about one-third of the country’s wine growing territory — could become unsuitable for viticulture, with similar risks for most of the world’s vineyards.

Italy is a top global wine producer, with its industry worth $20.7 billion Cdn and representing 10 per cent of the country’s agri-food economy. Before U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the European Union, exports totalled a record $12 billion Cdn in 2024, driven by premium and certified wines, even as producers faced climate extremes: drought in the south and hail and torrential downpours in the north. 

In northern Lazio, the region around Rome that produces about three per cent of Italian wine, Tosoni, and his daughter, Martina Tosoni, 42, who returned to the farm after working in tourism in Spain, are among the thousands of producers already adapting.

Their white grapes, Trebbiano, Malvasia, Vermentino and Vioner, once harvested in October, now ripen by late August.

“Last year we waited too long and because of climate change lost a third of our harvest,” said Massimo.

Nearby producers have begun swapping the local Sangiovese and Montepulciano reds with the heat-tolerant Syrah, which was once grown mostly on the southern island of Sicily.

Martina said the lack of water, more than heat, is now the greatest threat.

“There’s a huge generational leap in awareness about efficient use of water,” she said. 

She and other producers have introduced irrigation rotations to prevent shortages and upgraded their systems to minimize waste. Younger growers like her may also be tech-savvy and better equipped to access government grants for irrigation and other climate challenges.