Wine-producers to the Challenge of Climate Change (WCCC) How are they imagining and acting for their future?

The project

This project aims at studying how small wine producers in two French Mediterranean winegrowing regions deal with the issue of adaptation to climate change. 

It is funded for a period of 2 years (January 2025 - December 2026) by Sciences Po as part of the projects selected by the Scientific Advisory Board.

Project Objectives

Adapting viticulture to climate change is a major challenge for those involved in the wine industry. Recent research has pointed to possible levers for action, such as the adoption of new grape varieties, improved water management, better vineyard management and oenological innovations. Building on this, the WCCC project aims to observe ‘from below’ the adaptation strategies of small, ‘independent’ winegrowers (SMEs in charge of the entire wine production process and sale) in two French Mediterranean winegrowing regions faced with the challenge of water management: the Languedoc and the Northern Rhône Valley.

WCCC fits in with the sociology of institutional change, focusing on the ‘entrepreneurs of change’. This approach makes it possible to assess the extent to which the specific ‘social skills’ acquired by independent winegrowers as a result of their social background and professional career have an effect on the type of adaptation strategies implemented. To this end, WCCC will analyse the links between the sociological profiles of independent winegrowers and their actions, and study their contextual variations in two terroirs. 

Team

William Genieys, CNRS Research Professor, Sciences Po, CEE