Across the world viticulturalists are being forced to adapt climate change. In some cases the shifting weather patterns, combined with higher incidents of extreme events, are contributing to a change in taste, style and character of the wine. While this can be bad news for some wine regions, it can be good for others. Take France in 2009, where the weather conspired to produce wines, across the country, of exceptional quality.

In the faculty of oenology at Bordeaux's Institute of Vineyard and Wine Sciences the vintage report...