Winemakers know about climate change. Ask them.
Earlier this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2021 Report delivered stark news: human-induced climate change now drives major weather events around the globe. Droughts, floods, heatwaves, frosts and more – expect more of them, the report warns, and expect them to be more extreme.
This latest report only confirms what California’s winemakers grappling with yet another drought and our now annual fire season already knew: the existential threat of climate change is underway and it requires action from the very industries impacted. It is not a theoretical debate here: vines need water, grapes need skies clear of smoke-taint, and wineries need fire insurance to cover business losses.
When we set out to write Healthy Vines, Pure Wines in 2017, we were initially exploring how wine and tourism intersect as the industrial pillars of our region. From jobs, land used, and our hospitality sector, the economic impact of winemaking and wine tourism is significant. In 2020, we all witnessed firsthand how quickly one of those pillars could be toppled. And although travel and tourism returned this spring and early summer, another slowdown is on the horizon.
In the face of such monumental challenges, you’d think that California’s winemakers would be tempted to give up. A recent article in the New York Times implied just that and even gave wine consumers an unpleasant jolt with their fanciful description of a common irrigation practice.
Instead, we believe our winemakers have valuable knowledge on how to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change as a business and we should all start listening to them.
As we began our interviews with practicing winemakers like Chris and Mike Benziger and their colleagues, we discovered that the global wine industry is a vanguard of how business sectors can adapt sustainable methodologies without sacrificing profit or efficiencies. Winemaking is a consumer-driven and highly competitive endeavor but we found industry-wide threats fostered collaborative efforts and knowledge sharing. Our chapter covering Amigo Bob Cantisano, agricultural consultant and lifelong green advocate, highlighted the importance of stakeholder networking and communication.
We also researched winemaking around the globe and found winemakers hard at work on every aspect of their business, from soil to cellar, to find solutions for their region. Whether it was preserving traditional varieties in the face of climate uncertainties (France); coaxing harvests from desert soil (Israel); managing regular drought cycles (South Africa); investing in future viable areas (Chile), and more – wineries committed to sustainable methods are living laboratories of ways to combat climate change.
If you are a policymaker or journalist covering climate change, we urge you to talk with local winemakers who are engaged in organic and sustainable practice. Boost the signal of work being done by California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA), LODI RULES for Sustainable Winegrowers or the organizations doing similar work in your area.
Pamela, Jessica, and the editorial team of Healthy Vines, Pure Wines are committed to furthering the discussions on winemaking and the role it can play in combating climate change. If you are interested in learning more or connecting with a winery featured in our book, contact us.