To improve decision-making and climate adaptation for the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin (DOCa Rioja), a climate and sociological study has been carried out.

The DOCa Rioja is a wine-growing area (63593 hectares and 315 million litres of wine), distributed between La Rioja, Álava and Navarra. It benefits from the confluence of two opposing climates, Atlantic and Mediterranean, which provide mild temperatures and annual rainfall slightly above 400 l/^m2, ideal conditions for vine development. The current scenario of climate change, with an increase in temperature and a more heterogeneous distribution of rainfall, is a potential threat, altering phenological and maturation development or the incidence of pests and diseases, among others. Until now, the evolution of the climate in recent decades in the DOCa Rioja has not been rigorously studied, nor has the perception of the sector been evaluated, nor the technical and socio-economic impact of climate change on viticulture, as well as possible adaptation and mitigation strategies.

This completed project has undertaken a rigorous study of the incidence and technical and socio-economic impact of climate change on wine production in one of the most prestigious areas at national and international level, the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin (DOCa Rioja).

The project has studied the evolution of the climate and phenology of vine cultivation in the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin (DOCa Rioja) during the period 1950-2014, providing data at the spatial level (66 maps) and by municipality (12 tables) of the evolution of 14 variables and climatic indices. Likewise, a sociological diagnosis of the perception of climate change (CC) in the wine sector of the DOCa Rioja has been carried out, as well as the knowledge and implementation of adaptation practices to it.

The study of the evolution of the climate has shown an average increase in the average temperature (0.9 – 1.2 ºC) in most of the DOCa Rioja, which has caused a change in the climatic classification of the vineyard according to the Winkler index towards warmer classes. This translates into a general advance in the dates of budding, flowering and veraison in Tempranillo and Grenache.

The sociological study revealed a high level of concern about climate change, an increase in production costs and a reflection on the main adaptation tools, such as irrigation. The results were presented at an informative conference and were included in a reference technical report on the impact of climate change on the DOCa Rioja between 1950-2014, with the aim of helping decision-making in adaptation policies and practices in the coming decades.