The Northwest is well positioned to make wine into the future despite global climate change. So says a scientist who presented his findings on climate change and wine at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Monday.
Wine grape vines can be productive for decades. But how will climate change affect that? That’s the question Antonio Busalacchi, with the University of Maryland, sought to answer. He analyzed climate data for 24 prime wine growing regions throughout the world.
"The wine that we know from Bordeaux today is not the wine that we’ll be drinking in 2050,” Busalacchi says.
Busalacchi says increased temperatures, less rainfall and dramatic storms could all affect vineyards. But he says the Northwest has key advantages over regions like Western Europe and California. In fact, the ones that won’t be affected as seriously …
“… are those in higher latitudes like here in Washington state, Germany, and those at altitude," he says.
Busalacchi adds that famous old vineyards in places like France and Italy will likely have to change the way they grow grapes and make wine as the climate changes.
Copyright 2013 Northwest News Network
