Climate change could change the face of the Australian wine industry, as producers are forced to move their vineyards or grow new varieties, scientists said today.

Popular grape types like pinot noir and sauvignon blanc, and some varieties of chardonnay, may almost disappear from mainland Australia, and winemakers will face ruin unless they adapt their plans.

Australia is the biggest exporter of wine to the UK and the fourth largest exporter of wine in the world, shipping more than A$2.7bn (£1.1bn) worth to more than 100 countries in 2004.

The scientists said the industry would have winners and losers, with vineyards that adapted to changing temperatures able to capitalise on the chance to grow different kinds of grapes.

Research by the University of Melbourne and Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, found that rising temperatures would shorten growing seasons and could reduce the quality of the grapes grown.

CSIRO has predicted that in most Australian wine regions temperatures will increase by between 0.3 to 1.7C by 2030.

Leanne Webb, a former viticulturist and author of a paper published in the latest Wine Industry Journal, said: "Grape growers will need to adapt."

Ms Webb said the wine industry was particularly vulnerable to climate change because of the special dependence on links between regional climate and wine styles.

Relocating the grapes currently grown to cooler areas would allow growers to adapt to the changing temperature, but the industry should also consider breeding new varieties to suit the warmer climate.

"With earlier harvest in a warmer climate, the temperature of the ripening period in some regions will become too warm to produce balanced wines from some or maybe all grape varieties growing there now," she said.

Scientists have already warned of dire consequences for the wine industries of France and America if temperatures continue to increase.