Extreme heat has made the 2026 grape harvest the earliest on record, with some varieties being picked more than a month ahead of their usual schedule. But what does global warming mean for wine quality and will climate change ultimately affect what ends up in the glass?

Matteo Ascheri, a wine Entrepreneur in the Langhe who produces 240,000 bottles a year, and Lorenzo Giordano, President of the Vinchio Vaglio Cooperative Winery in Monferrato, whose 200 members farm 550 hectares of vineyards, offer a reassuring answer.

This year’s grapes are considered beautiful, healthy and full. They were harvested early to preserve acidity in the grapes, which gives the finished wine its freshness. The winemakers say the resulting wines will be of excellent quality.

There are two reasons for that. First, this year’s winter and spring were rainy, leaving the vines with a good reserve of water in the soil to draw from. More broadly, technology and the experience of growers, who have been dealing with global warming for about 20 years — even as conditions have worsened in recent seasons — mean that work both in the vineyard and in the cellar can help mitigate the negative effects of extreme heat.

And then there is a truth etched into the land over thousands of years: the grapevine is a hardy plant, remarkably capable of adapting to its surroundings and climate. That resilience is one of the qualities that makes the vine extraordinary and helps ensure that the wine remains good and enjoyable to drink.