Pedro Parra urges Burgundy growers to reassess rootstocks and vineyard productivity

Vineyard consultant Pedro Parra says growers in Burgundy and other historic European regions should reassess rootstocks, vineyard productivity and cellar practices as hotter, drier conditions challenge established approaches. Speaking at a London seminar on Oct. 5, he argued that vineyard decisions need to be based on closer knowledge of soil and vine health, rather than broad assumptions about a site.

Parra described mapping soil variation and recording the condition and production of individual vines as practical tools for vineyard management. He urged growers to count vines that are dead, unproductive or yielding little, and to follow changes in vine health over time. Those records, he argued, can help growers judge whether declining production warrants replanting and whether current rootstocks remain suitable.

He said his work in vineyards across multiple countries has included more than 50,000 soil pits, and that his consultancy produces detailed maps of differences within vineyard blocks. Parra contends that soil composition, weather, slope and water availability should inform choices about rootstock, farming and winemaking. The seminar also included his work with Meursault producer Jean-Marc Roulot on replanting projects, and a winery being established in Sussex.

Parra said the conditions he encountered in 2026 in Burgundy, Montalcino and other regions heightened his concern about drought, vine stress and the future character of wines. He also argued that some traditional Burgundian cellar practices were developed for cooler, lower-alcohol fruit and may need to be reconsidered as grapes ripen more fully. These were Parra’s assessments at the seminar; the source did not provide independent data on regional yields or climate conditions.

The seminar paired discussion of terroir with wines from different sites and Parra’s own Itata, Chile, production. The source reports that his winery works with old vines and native varieties, and uses cold fermentations and concrete or ceramic vessels. Parra presented those choices as responses to heat and as part of his effort to express site character.