July 22, 2026 - 0 comments
Tiago Sampaio: Adapting to Climate Change in the Vineyards
"We've been seeing a lot of impact of climate change," says Portuguese natural winemaker Tiago Sampaio of Folias de Baco. Since he began making wine in 1999, he has seen the same vineyards harvested "one month ahead" of where they once were.
For Tiago, the biggest challenge isn't only rising temperatures, it's the increasing intensity of the sun. "One of our biggest concerns now, it's not just the temperature itself, but the sun," he explains. Excessive exposure can burn fruit and even "kill all the microbial life in the soil."
As a result, much of the work in the vineyard is now focused on protection rather than intervention. "We always try to keep leaves covering the fruits," he says, allowing the vines to grow more naturally so the grapes remain shaded. On the ground, the team avoids cultivating the soil or mowing the vegetation. Instead, they roll the cover crops, ensuring "there's always a layer of vegetable matter covering the soil from the sun."
For Tiago, adapting to climate change means rethinking vineyard practices to protect both the fruit and the living soil. As he puts it, "That's our biggest concern today."
