Having come to London to give a seminar for the first time since 2014, Parra, a world-renowned expert on soils and geology – as well as winemaker – spoke in stark terms about the effect of this year’s growing season on great terroirs, such as Burgundy and Tuscany.
Although born and raised in Chile, and a winemaker in Itata, Parra works with a range of leading wine producers around the world, often alongside great winemaking consultant Alberto Antonini, whom he counts as a close friend, as well as business partner.
As a result, he has ended up helping wineries analyse the detailed nature of their terroir in countries from Armenia and Australia to Canada, Italy, the US and Uruguay, as well as of course France, and has worked in fine wine regions from Montalcino to Burgundy, along with the Barossa and Barolo.
But it has been after this vintage that he has emerged “scared”, having seen the yellowing of vine leaves in July in “great terroirs” such as Montalcino, while hearing reports of similar conditions in the Côte d’Or of Burgundy.
The immediate reason for such discolouration in vineyards was the extreme heat of 2026, coupled with almost desert conditions in much of Europe, although longer term causes relate to declining vine health, in turn a result of the wrong rootstocks and soil management techniques.
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