BORDEAUX, France—For 700 years, Château Carbonnieux relied on rainwater to nourish its grapes, a tradition that preserved the vineyard’s connection to the local terroir. Then temperatures rose to a record-breaking 42°C in June, and co-owner Philibert Perrin noticed the leaves of his Cabernet Sauvignon grapes turning yellow and shriveling, an ominous sign. So he did the unthinkable: He sent a tractor rigged with a water tank and hoses into the vineyard to hydrate his most vulnerable vines. “For the young vines we had to do it because they won’t survive the whole summer,” Perrin said. “At some point you see…

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