Days after a US National Academy of Sciences study warned about the impact of global warming on California's premium vineyards, an American academic from the Southern Oregon University, Gregory Jones, presented a climate model at the International Wine Business and Marketing Conference in France that caused many furrow lines on the foreheads of the delegates.

Jones, reports BeverageDaily.com, predicts that swathes of California's wine areas may disappear by 2050 if world temperatures continue to rise at their current rate. A 2°C rise in temperatures up to 2050, already predicted by some scientists, could be enough to make this vision a reality, Jones said.

Jones said Napa Valley was of particular concern because a rise in temperatures would see it move to the "upper limit of its capability". In contrast, Bordeaux comes out of Jones's climate model rather well.

Bordeaux, despite its high reputation, is actually slightly on the cold side for several of its specialist grape varieties, notably Cabernet Sauvignon. If temperatures rise, Bordeaux may end up better positioned to produce top vintages.

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