Scientists believe that some of the world’s most popular wines, as well as the civilizations that created them, may become extinct.

Typically, grapes are harvested on steep hillsides without the use of mechanized instruments, making this ‘heroic’ viticulture extremely challenging.

These sites have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and researchers have now explained why scientists and farmers must collaborate to protect this centuries-old tradition in the face of climate change, which threatens to disrupt the delicate environments in places like Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

Prosecco is an Italian white wine produced throughout many provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions and is named for the hamlet of the same name near Trieste.

Scientists expressed their concerns about soil degradation and drought, two of the most serious hazards posed by climate change, in an article published last month in the journal iScience.

The University of Padova researchers warned of another hazard presented by the ‘rural flight and progressive abandonment of mountain landscapes’ that have characterized the previous five decades.

“The new generation is not attracted to continue working under extreme conditions if the economic benefits are insignificant,” the researchers noted, warning that technological modernization is ‘degrading’ the rural cultural base of previous generations.

“The risk is not only losing an agricultural product or seeing a landscape change, but also negatively impacting the local economy,” noted lead author Dr. Paolo Tarolli and his co-authors.

“The risk is that entire communities’ histories and cultural roots will be lost.”

‘Heroic viticulture’ locations are vines with a slope steeper than 30%, are located on tiny islands, or are more than 500 meters above sea level. Vineyards can also be classified as ‘heroic viticulture’ if they include vines cultivated on terraces.

The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are two well-known examples.

Researchers cautioned that climate change is hastening soil deterioration by introducing more weather extremes, such as the chance of strong rainfall, which can ‘soon precipitate slope collapses’.

Prolonged droughts can also pose a problem; therefore, we should be concerned.

“The key to success lies in combining traditional winemaker knowledge with innovation and scientific rigor,” the researchers concluded.

“By doing so, farms can collaborate closely with scientists to optimize investments for a more functional, sustainable, and safe agricultural landscape—a winning alliance to meet these diverse natural and anthropogenic challenges.”