Climate change: realities, fantasies and solutions...

Your backgrounds are very different. How did you end up working together?

Marc Ouvrié: We are from the same class in Bordeaux, but we only had the opportunity to work together from 2017 onwards, taking part in a large study on frosts in Burgundy.

Benjamin Bois: At that point, we became aware of the need for information and support for producers to adapt to the new climate reality. Hence this regular collaboration in pairs on certain projects.

What is the role of each person?

BB: My job is diagnosis: I process and analyze the data collected by temperature sensors, which we have previously installed in the vineyards. With this data, I produce a climate map [see box] of the studied area.
MO: I mainly handle the downstream side, the "prescription," with proposals for strategies or investments for the client. I have a cross-functional approach, taking into account technical, economic, available workforce, and commercial aspects. A bit like a general practitioner.

You have been advising producers and trade associations for several years. What is your assessment of the consequences of climate change on viticulture?

BB: The most striking thing is surely the changes in the calendar, with shorter cycles, therefore earlier harvests, therefore different wine profiles.

MO: And of course, the damage that affects the crops. Firstly, spring frost, high temperatures, and excess water which leads to disease pressure.

BB: This isn't uniform across France. On average, southern vineyards are more exposed to heatwaves, while northern vineyards are more exposed to frost. And the disruption seems, for the moment, to be more intense in northern vineyards, such as Burgundy.

"I challenge those who predict the end of wine in Burgundy to advise winemakers to uproot the great wines," Benjamin Bois.