The Academy of Wine

In 1982, the movie Blade Runner which depicts Los Angeles in a nightmarish southeast Asian-like climate, seemed like science fiction. Today, we think of it as visionary.

Because the atmospheric envelope surrounding our planet is turning into a greenhouse due by and large to carbon dioxide and other emissions, we have already been confronted with the environmental and cultural aspects of climate change. If various climatic models indicate that prior to 1970 natural factors caused climate changes, nowadays there is no more controversy on the fact that more recent climate events are due to human activity.

One morning in 2006, newspapers across the world announced that the global wine industry was doomed. This bombshell came from a study published by Purdue University and funded by NASA. It claimed that, due to global warming, vine acreage would decrease in the U.S.A. by more than 80% by the end of the century. Moreover, renowned wine regions of the world would not be able to grow high quality grapes any longer.

A study by Dr. Gregory Jones from the University of Oregon has gathered data showing that global warming has already affected the wine industry. Overall, in most prominent wine regions, growing season temperatures have increased by an average of 2˚C in the last half century, and the prediction is that they will keep on intensifying another 2˚C or so by 2050.

Just as an example, the alcohol in Alsacian wines has increased of two 2 degrees over the past two decades despite the shift of harvest from early October to early September. To sum up, cool regions have, so far, benefited from the warmer temperatures, because the fruit ripens better, hence producing richer, rounder wines. What’s more, regions that in the past were too cool to grow grapes, are now developing into new areas of viticulture. England, for instance, has recently released sparkling wines.

In contrast, the scenario for warm regions turning into hot regions looks less encouraging. Excessive heat causes sugar levels in the grapes to rise very quickly, shortening flavor development. The resulting wines show less richness and complexity but plenty of alcohol.

Besides moving harvest periods earlier to the warmest days of the year, the reduced water, soil erosion and substantial change in insect habitat associated with global warming will require an adjustment of farming practices. The first International Global Warming and Wine Conference was held in Spain in March of 2006. The conference examined these issues as well as the eventual prospect of planting new grape varieties more suitable for the different climatic conditions such as Grenache or Syrah in Bordeaux, or Cabernet Sauvignon in Burgundy. Will fiction transcend reality?

Because viticulture is a very climate-sensitive form of agriculture, the Napa Valley wine industry is the canary in the coal mine. Winegrowers in Napa Valley are poised to look at what they can do within their own environment, and in the process, work at reshaping a better global future. “Think globally, act locally.” To that end, Napa Valley Vintners, a non profit trade association with nearly 300 winery members in Napa, has created a Climate Change Task Force to work with geophysicists from Scripps Institute of Oceanography to learn what is to date really happening in Napa Valley, and accordingly, project new farming procedures. Because the Pacific Ocean is the single most important influence on the weather of Napa Valley, the mechanisms that might come into play might be more complex than straightforward warming temperatures. Fog intrusions are driven by heating in the Central Valley. The more the Valley heats up, the more the fog rolls in. Could we see cool zones farther inland or denser fog along the coast? Science doesn’t give the answer, but remarkably, the two warmest years on record on a global scale, 1998 and 2005, were in contrast the two coolest growing seasons in Napa Valley. There is so much more to learn regarding climate modeling and its bearing on California’s coastal microclimates.

Napa Valley vintners and growers understand their need to be prepared for the short and long term to maintain their industry. As a result, Napa Valley is now playing a leading role in green and sustainable practices in the vineyard as well as in the winery.

Preserving the land is the obvious starting point to lead to a better future. As poet/conservationist Gary Snyder noted, “We may not transform reality, but we may transform ourselves. And if we transform ourselves, we might just change the world a bit.”