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US wine industry 'doing nothing' on climate change, Taste3 hears
July 31, 2008
Janice Fuhrman in Napa
A leading US climate change researcher says the US wine industry is 'doing nothing' to study the problem.
Further research and adaptation is crucial for continued success in wine growing areas, Professor Greg Jones of Southern Oregon University said – but the US is 'in denial'.
'It is absolutely clear that viticultural climates of tomorrow will not be as they are today,' Jones said at the Taste3 conference at Napa's Copia earlier this month.
Predicted changes include warmer and longer growing seasons, warmer dormant periods, reduced frost damage in some areas, altered ripening profiles, and changes in soil fertility and erosion.
'The Australian industry has funded numerous projects on weather and climate influences and impacts over the last couple of years, while the US has done virtually nothing,' Jones said.
'Australia has had 12-plus years of drought and the US has not. Leaders in Australia see the risk and are reacting while the US is still mostly in denial.'
He added, 'Wine industries have a tremendous adaptive capacity, but cannot achieve change without agreeing there is an issue, and developing clear strategies associated with research, policy, adaptation, and mitigation.'
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 US wine industry 'doing nothing' on climate change. Sounds like the right thing not to do to me.
Dan Friedman, NYC Wine Report, USA
Maybe they are not buying into the lie.
Jeff Westfield, NY, USA
Typical US ostrich mentality from the two New Yorkers above. While this center of the universe currently suffers almost not at all from the effects of climate change, others in the US do. The greater incidence of hurricanes and heavy storms in the US southeast the past several years and the unusually high number of tornadoes in their usual territory of the Midwest is testament to this. And while North America isn't bearing the brunt of the effects of climate change Europe and Australia, as Gregg Jones so rightly pointed out, are. Perhaps the gents writing in should consult sources other than Fox Noise for their information.
Note--the author of this note is an American whose lived in Europe eight years and has spoken and written of the issues surrounding climate change and wine.
David Furer
Ahhhhhh…..Professor Greg Jones of Southern Oregon University should pay for the studies…apparently not everyone believes in the illusion of “climate change”. I have never know anyone to ever be able to accurately predict the weather??
Jesse Balsimo, Global Wines
Absolutely clear as mud!
K Pritchard, Columbus, Ohio, USA
I think this Jones is the same naïve “climatologist” who published a paper correlating wine scores to climate change. In so doing he displayed such a lack of intellectual curiosity that he assumed that 100 point scoring by journalists to be an objective measurement of wine quality, and furthermore, scoring not being related more to the commercial interests of publishers to find higher scoring wines to recommend to their readership. If, while here in the Napa Valley, he had taken a look around, he might have been surprised at the number of solar installations on warehouses and wineries and the focus of the industry on sustainable practices regarding energy. While I understand that he probably seeks funding from the wine industry, I think he will find that if they do, they will look to more diligent and qualified scientists to help them.
Morton Leslie
Those wily Canadian just reported that a big hunk of Arctic icecap (from which many expeditions were launched) just fell off - not necessarily due to global warming but shrinking icecaps (no lie). I hear Scotland is the next viticultural hotspot.
Michael Donohue , Sausalito CA, USA
I too attended TASTE3, and am very sensitive to this topic and my take away was not what was conveyed in Fuhrman's article. Perhaps what the writer heard was Jones' frustration that there is not an all-encompassing US government wine entity like he deals with overseas working on the challenges of climate change, since the concept of the US wine industry doing nothing was not what I heard from him today after spending the day with him at a climate change conference. In fact, Jones is one of the leading climate scientists in Oregon who has been funded in his research by the Oregon Wine Commission, as well as NASA and Purdue University among many others. The California Wine Institute as part of its sustainable winegrowing program has been working on climate change, and from those of us in Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Vintners-the non-profit trade association of more than 300 wineries from the region- has made no secret that we are engaged in a multi-year climate study in conjunction with two of California's leading climate scientist, Dan Cayan of Scripps Institute at UC San Diego and Kim Nicholas Cahill of Stanford University who are analyzing very specific climate data so as to provide a road map for the future of Napa Valley's wine industry. We feel very committed to this work, though we represent just 4% of California's wine production, the economic impact of our wines accounts for nearly a third of all of California's wines. We are very keen on keeping our place at the table. With climate change, and we use this term on purpose since while we acknowledge global warming, the future could actually be a shifting of climate. Some regions may become cooler as the continental land masses warm, the coastal fringes become cooler (think San Francisco in summer). For example, 2007, 2005 and 1998 have been the hottest years recorded world-wide, yet the coolest growing seasons in Napa Valley. In any case, warmer or cooler, vineyard practices would be different from current and we have the obligation to give it our best effort to stay ahead of the challenges. The study of climate by all those working on it both in the public and private sectors, as it relates to Napa Valley, California or other American wine regions is a challenging matrix when one considers such things as; temperature stations that have become increasing surrounded by population centers which may have created heat pockets that skew data; root stocks, varieties planted, the trellis methods employed today are all vastly different than they were even twenty years ago so capturing meaningful historic data on bud break and harvest or other indicators of change is not simple. And in an area like Napa Valley where more than 90% of vineyards and wineries are family farms, research and conclusions have to be pretty right on as people's livelihoods are directly effected. I would argue that the research being done at our universities, trade associations, farm bureaus, and on the local, state and federal level do not account for “nothing,” but are responsible steps to providing real solutions, not sound bites that make gratuitous headlines.
Terry Hall, Communications Director, Napa Valley Vintners, USA
Hmmm, perhaps all of the AL Gore climatologists will include ALL data points not just anomolies. Perhaps the include the 30's and 40's? Data just as accurate as post WW2. Ahhh but that would show....global cooling.
Jeff Westfield, NY, USA
I wonder if "Champagne" will be produced in the South Down in England in our lifetime? Afterall, they are a continuation of the chalk of which the Champenois are so justly proud, thus already have a large portion of the "terroir" needed.
Tony Hirons, Toronto, Canada
What are the credentials of the “Climate Change expert”? The amount of contradiction on this subject is amazing. It shows me, and I am sure the US wine industry, that there is no firm evidence to prove the so called climate change actually exist. What about the ice age coming as stated in the 70's? What about the oceans dying within 10 years as Ted Danson stated in the early 90's (supported by climate change experts of the time). Are you actually surprised that reaction is skeptical at best? I firmly believe the “Climate Change” movement is nothing more than a chance for the rest of the world to level the financial playing field against the United States. If the United States does everything the rest of the world wants done we will tax ourselves, send our wealth around the world via world organizations and hamstring our economy so much we will not be the dominate power we are today.
One degree or less does not make for a catastrophe in the making. What did cause the ice age prior to man inhabiting the earth? Maybe mother nature is cyclical environmentally like everything in nature and you doom and gloom over reactors are not as powerful against her as you think you are.
Mark Ballard
On July 31, the day this article posted, I was on a panel with Greg Jones at a climate change seminar at Gloria-Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, ironically talking about the many climate change-related efforts the California wine industry is undertaking. To name a few, in addition to those mentioned by Terry Hall of Napa Valley Vintners, Wine Institute recently worked with international partners to develop a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and Accounting Tool wineries and vineyards of all sizes can use to measure their carbon footprint, and since 2005 the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance – a non-profit organization created by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers to implement the Sustainable Winegrowing Program – has been hosting educational workshops on air quality, energy efficiency, green building and climate change in partnership with organizations such as USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Pacific Gas & Electric Company. We are also working with UC Davis scientists on a project to better understand the GHG footprint of vineyards and continue to advocate for research dollars to provide information the wine industry can use to mitigate and adapt to climate change. “Doing nothing” is an inaccurate description and is contradictory to the California wine industry's demonstrated, public commitment to sustainability.
Allison Jordan, Executive Director, California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, USA
Funny, maybe you should ask a Viticulturalist why they are not too upset. Carbon is a FERTILIZER it is one of the most improtant nutrients for grapegrowing. As things get warmer, frost risk decreases, fruit gets more sun exposure (Good/bad depending on vairetal) and regions that are too cold to grow grapes now will have a new awakening. North America will be seeing a birth of utlra premium wine areas in BC, Washington and Oregon. Climate change WILL even make some wine regions better! (God forbid!)
Now the reason Australia is so freaked out (I am a recent Masters of Oenology and Viticulture grad from the University of Adelaide) is the Riverland area. It is where most of their bulk wine is produced is already on the outer edge of grape growing in terms of high temperatures. The Murray Darling system was already in perilous condition BEFORE we got all hyped up about "Climate Change" and it is the final nail in the coffin. It is scary in Australia, and Wine is the #3 or #4 GDP for OZ, so they have a right to be freaked out and need to "Do Something"
The North American wine industry does not have to do anything but REACT as things warm up. Plant heat tolerant varieties, like Tempranillo, Grenache and Malbec in Sonoma as things get warmer. British Coloumbia may become the new Cabernet Capital and you may see people able to grow good Zinfandel in crazy places like Colorado. Climate change is interesting, but it is only going to open the doors to opportunities in places wine was never produced before! Exciting and interesting times - YES.....Fear, terror and the end of the wine industry DEFINITELY not. Tim Donahue, Adelaide, South Australia
9 months on and some results are in...
Australia has recorded the second highest average temperatures in
recorded history, and every decades' averages have increased for the
last four decades!
The Xmas season of vignerons is now disrupted by the nervous constant
monitoring of grape sugars prior to earlier harvests (hopefully after
New Years Eve) while cooler regions of Australia confidently enjoy
their seasonal celebrations knowing that vintage for them, at least,
may be up to four months away!
The huge variations in climate and terroir in Australia are the result
of vast terrain - Australia has a bigger land mass than all western
Europe including the UK & Ireland – it is best seen on a online
searchable database mapping some 5,230 Australian vineyards in 84 wine
regions across (and up and down Australia) in which some 155 grape
varieties are planted. And, they're not all listed... Dick Friend
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