Grapes of change: French wines adapt to global warming

French director of the wine research centre, Sicarex Beaujolais, Bertrand Chatelet in a vineyard covered by anti-hail nets in Liergues, region of Beaujolais. Photos: Philippe Desmazes/AFP

In France's storied Bordeaux wine region, an experiment aimed at helping some of the world's best-loved tipples to weather the ravages of climate change is starting to bear fruit.

On a small estate in the southwestern region where Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon have reigned supreme for decades, several non-indigenous grape varieties nurtured by researchers over the past 10 years have taken root.