Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 29 June 2018

Wineries hedge against climate change, move to cool climates

By ANDREW SELSKY Africa's Western Cape
Associated Press caused a 15 percent drop
DALLAS, Ore. (AP) — When in the grape harvest, of-
an Oregon valley famed ficials announced in May,
for its wine heats up under saying wine prices will likely
the afternoon sun, Pacific go up as a consequence.
Ocean winds rush through A predicted long-term dry-
a dip in the mountains, ing trend has serious impli-
cooling the grapes in Jeff cations for South Africa's
Havlin's vineyards. wine industry, said Wanda
The Van Duzer Corridor, Augustyn of VinPro, which
the lowest point in Or- represents the nation's wine
egon's Coast Range, has producers and stakehold-
become a go-to place ers.
for wineries and vineyards "In the longer term, pro-
hedging their bets against ducers will have to look at
climate change. Wine- quality, drought-resistant
makers and vineyard own- vines which produce more
ers in a 95-square-mile flavor, acidity and inten-
(246-square-kilometer) sec- sity, but have lower water
tion of the corridor have needs," Augustyn said.
applied to become the Winemakers are starting to
newest American Viticul- set up in Brittany, France's
tural Area, with the wind its In this Aug. 10, 2016, file photo, is a bottle of Runner Duck wine, that is produced on the northwesternmost region,
predominant feature. Vergenoegd wine estate on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, South Africa. which previously was unde-
"When the temperature Associated Press sirable because of Atlantic
drops, you need a jack- wind, rain and lack of sun-
et in August," said Havlin, vests and diminished wine have the cool breeze in the and Chile, bought land shine.
who on a recent afternoon quality as grapes ripen fast- afternoon and the cooler 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) These days, vineyards are
was driving a utility vehicle er, once-iffy sites like the temperatures at night and high in the Pyrenees foot- even planted as far north
through his vineyards. Van Duzer (pronounced the fog in the morning," hills as an investment in as Sweden.
From South Africa's van DOO-zer) Corridor are said Ria D'Aversa, direc- cooler climates. Greg Jones, one of the
drought-stricken vineyards, coming into their own. tor of ranch operations at Average temperatures at world's authorities on cli-
to France's noble cha- Northern California's Peta- McEvoy Ranch, a Petalu- the company's vineyards mate change and wines,
teaus, to sunny vineyards luma Gap, which like the ma Gap vineyard. have risen 1 degree Cel- will be there this summer as
in Australia and California Van Duzer Corridor sucks The area's slogan: "From sius (1.8 Fahrenheit) over 40 a keynote speaker at the
, growers and winemakers in ocean breezes, was des- wind to wine." years, with the result that VitiNord wine conference,
say they are seeing the ef- ignated one of America's California winemaker Ehren harvests are now about 10 which will examine cool-
fects of climate change newest viticultural areas in Jordan said: "People would days earlier than 20 years er-climate wine produc-
as temperatures rise, with December. have looked at you like you ago, company president tion. Sixteen cool climate
swings in weather patterns Receiving an American Vi- had three heads if, 30 years Miguel A. Torres said in an regions warmed by 2.52
becoming more severe. ticulture Area designation ago, you told someone you email. degrees Fahrenheit (1.4
So they are taking action allows winemakers to em- were going to grow wine Torres called climate Celsius) from the late 1800s
— moving to cooler zones, phasize the unique char- grapes there." change a "very serious through 2015,
planting varieties that do acteristics of their wine, His Failla winery, based in worldwide problem" for Jones noted at an earlier
better in the heat, and determined by climate, the Napa Valley, recently winemakers and said that, conference.
shading their grapes with geography, soil and other bought 80 acres (32 hect- beyond changing viticul- "If things keep going the
more leaf canopy. factors. ares) in the Van Duzer Cor- ture practices, they should way they're going, then we
As areas once ideal for cer- "Even though we have ridor and opened a winery also try to reduce their have some real challeng-
tain grapes become less those heat waves just like nearby. The corridor now greenhouse gas emissions. es," Jones said. of environ-
viable, causing earlier har- Napa and Sonoma, we still has a half-dozen wineries Severe drought in South mental studies.q
and at least 17 commercial
vineyards, with more on the
way.
Grapevines can tolerate
heat and drought, and
dry farming is tradition-
ally practiced in parts of
Europe. But the past four
years have been the plan-
et's hottest on record, and
more warming is expected.
Even minor weather varia-
tions that occur vintage to
vintage can change the
grapes' sugar, acid and
tannin content, affecting
the wine's taste and char- In this photo taken Monday, May 21, 2018, a cellar worker
In this photo taken Monday, May 21, 2018, workers trim leaves acteristics. takes barrels into a cave at the Keller Estate winery in Peta-
in a Pinot Noir vineyard at the Keller Estate winery in Petaluma, Familia Torres, a major wine luma, Calif.
Calif. Associated Press
Associated Press producer based in Spain
with wineries in California