2022年11月14日 VOA慢速英語：西班牙的科學家希望通過古老的葡萄藤來挽救葡萄酒業(yè)務

 

Genetic researchers in Spain's wine country believe grape vines that have lived for more than 35 years are better able to deal with high temperatures brought by climate change.
西班牙葡萄酒之鄉(xiāng)的遺傳學研究人員認為，已經(jīng)存活超過 35 年的葡萄藤能夠更好地應對氣候變化帶來的高溫。
 
Winemakers in the Rioja area in northern Spain make some of the best wine in the world. Wine has been made there for hundreds of years.
西班牙北部里奧哈地區(qū)的釀酒師生產世界上最好的葡萄酒。數(shù)百年來，葡萄酒一直在那里釀造。
 
But in recent years, winemakers there have been having trouble producing good wine. They say the wine tasted better in the past, when temperatures were usually cooler. The 2022 summer was the hottest in Spain since record-keeping began in 1961. Temperatures were 2.2 degrees Celsius higher than average.
但近年來，那里的釀酒師在生產優(yōu)質葡萄酒方面遇到了麻煩。他們說這種酒在過去味道更好，當時溫度通常較低。 2022 年的夏天是西班牙自 1961 年開始記錄以來最熱的一年。氣溫比平均水平高 2.2 攝氏度。
 
Researchers like Pablo Carbonell think older grapevines may be able to grow better in higher temperatures.
巴勃羅·卡博內爾 (Pablo Carbonell) 等研究人員認為，較老的葡萄藤可能能夠在較高的溫度下生長得更好。
 
As part of his research work, Carbonell looks at rows of gray shapes on his computer screen. Among them was a green rectangle. This, he said, represents a kind of grapevine that produces grapes that take longer to ripen, even in warmer conditions.
作為研究工作的一部分，Carbonell 在他的電腦屏幕上查看成排的灰色圖形。其中有一個綠色矩形。他說，這代表了一種葡萄樹，即使在溫暖的條件下，這種葡萄也需要更長的時間才能成熟。
 
A longer ripeness period is what winemakers want. The current vines produce grapes that are ready to pick too early. Such grapes do not make wine that has the right color and smell. The wine also has too much alcohol.
更長的成熟期是釀酒師想要的。目前的葡萄藤生產的葡萄準備采摘過早。這樣的葡萄不能釀造出顏色和氣味合適的葡萄酒。這酒也有太多的酒精。
 
People who work in the vineyards have long crossed old vines with new ones. Now they are working with special laboratories -- like the one where Carbonell works -- to find a climate-resistant vine.
在葡萄園工作的人長期以來一直將舊葡萄藤與新葡萄藤雜交?，F(xiàn)在，他們正在與特殊的實驗室（比如 Carbonell 所在的實驗室）合作，以尋找一種耐氣候的葡萄樹。
 
The place is called the Vine and Wine Research Institute. It is known as the ICVV in Spain. The scientists there are studying the genomes of commonly used grapes in Spanish wine.
這個地方被稱為葡萄藤和葡萄酒研究所。它在西班牙被稱為 ICVV。那里的科學家正在研究西班牙葡萄酒中常用葡萄的基因組。
 
The lab is working to keep the Spanish winemaking industry alive as temperatures rise. The scientists say the older grapevines have a more diverse genetic makeup.
隨著氣溫升高，該實驗室正在努力保持西班牙釀酒業(yè)的活力?？茖W家們表示，較老的葡萄藤具有更多樣化的基因構成。
 
Spain is the third-largest winemaking country in the world behind France and Italy. Spanish wine production is worth close to $5 billion in the country's economy each year.
西班牙是僅次于法國和意大利的世界第三大釀酒國。西班牙葡萄酒生產每年為該國經(jīng)濟帶來近 50 億美元的價值。
 
The United Nations warns that climate change will cause Europe to lose crops due to heat, dry conditions and "extreme weather." The report will be included in the discussion at the COP 27 international climate meeting, which began this week in Egypt and runs until November 18.
聯(lián)合國警告說，氣候變化將導致歐洲因高溫、干燥條件和“極端天氣”而損失農作物。該報告將被納入 COP 27 國際氣候會議的討論中，該會議于本周在埃及開始，一直持續(xù)到 11 月 18 日。
 
The Rioja region has 500 wineries and makes up 21 percent of Spain's wine production, totaling over $1.5 billion each year. Spain needs the region's wine production to continue.
里奧哈地區(qū)擁有 500 家釀酒廠，占西班牙葡萄酒的 21%年產值超過 15 億美元。西班牙需要繼續(xù)該地區(qū)的葡萄酒生產。
 
Inigo Torres is director of Grupo Rioja, a trade association representing 60 wineries in the region.
Inigo Torres 是代表該地區(qū) 60 家葡萄酒廠的貿易協(xié)會 Grupo Rioja 的董事。
 
"We are very worried about climate change," he said. He noted that this year's grape harvest started two weeks early. The change affects the way the wine tastes.
“我們非常擔心氣候變化，”他說。他指出，今年的葡萄收獲提前兩周開始。這種變化會影響葡萄酒的口味。
 
Torres said the warmer weather also limits how many grapes grow on each vine. As a result, total wine production has gone down by 5 to 10 percent over the last four years.
托雷斯說，溫暖的天氣也限制了每株葡萄藤上的葡萄數(shù)量。結果，在過去四年中，葡萄酒總產量下降了 5% 到 10%。
 
Jose Miguel Martinez Zapater is the director of ICVV. He and his scientists are working to analyze the wine. They are looking at vine cuttings that are close to 100 years old.
Jose Miguel Martinez Zapater 是 ICVV 的主管。他和他的科學家們正在努力分析這種葡萄酒。他們正在尋找接近 100 年樹齡的葡萄藤插條。
 
He said the laboratory is doing the same kind of work scientists have done to sequence the human genome. But instead of looking for mutations that cause diseases, the wine scientists are looking for traits, or qualities, that might permit the vines to survive in a warmer climate.
他說實驗室正在做的工作與科學家們?yōu)槿祟惢蚪M測序所做的工作相同。但是，葡萄酒科學家們不是在尋找導致疾病的突變，而是在尋找可能使葡萄藤在更溫暖的氣候中生存的特征或品質。
 
In addition to the genetic research, scientists are also working on different planting methods. A winery called RODA is planting vines in a curve instead of a straight line. The hope is that plants will soak up more water this way. The new vineyard is made up of vines that were over 100 years old and moved from another place.
除了基因研究之外，科學家們還在也在研究不同的種植方法。一家名為 RODA 的酒廠正在以曲線而不是直線種植葡萄藤。希望植物會以這種方式吸收更多的水。新葡萄園由樹齡超過100年、從別處搬來的葡萄樹組成。
 
Maria Santolaya is an agricultural engineer and part of RODA's technical team. She said she hopes next summer is not as hot. The hot weather, she said, "has been very problematic."
Maria Santolaya 是一名農業(yè)工程師，也是 RODA 技術團隊的一員。她說她希望明年夏天不會那么熱。她說，炎熱的天氣“一直是個大問題。”
 
But, "our biggest concern," she added, "is what will happen in 20 or 30 years. We don't really know how things will come out."
但是，“我們最擔心的是，”她補充說，“是 20 或 30 年后會發(fā)生什么。我們真的不知道事情會如何發(fā)展。”