#drinkhacker

Global warming is a serious issue, made all the more tragic when we learn that rising temperatures may lead to a shortage of wine.

Drought across Europe has kept grape yields down, with the overall harvest in France off 19 percent vs. 2011. Italy’s harvest also dropped for the second year in a row. In Spain, for the third. Even South America hasn’t been spared: Argentina’s wine production plummeted 24 percent. In Champagne, things are currently at rock bottom, though there are no drought issues here. Instead, hail and fungus, driven by excessive rain, nearly cut the 2012 crop in half. The total tonnage of Champagne grapes harvested is the lowest in 40 years, according to the French Ministry of Agriculture. In the end, when all the grapes are juiced, it’s estimated that worldwide wine production for the year will be at its lowest level since 1975.

Why do so many people order tomato juice mid-air when they would never drink it at sea level? Our resident drinkhacker figured out why food and drinks just don't taste the same at 30,000 feet. Here's the breakdown:

In simple terms, your senses are dulled when you’re flying due to the air in the cabin. Dry air desensitizes the nose, which removes much of your sense of smell. The second punch comes from low air pressure in the cabin, which dulls your taste buds. Altogether, this means something that might taste lovely and delicate at lower altitude tastes awful in the sky.