For the second time in the space of two months CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, ran a story claiming climate change is harming wine production, particularly in Canada. As Climate Realism showed in March, when CBC first aired similar claims, this is false. Because of its northerly location, Canada is not well suited to growing certain types of grapes or to producing certain popular wine varietals common in warmer regions, but data shows that the grapes and wines the country is well suited to producing have increased dramatically during the recent period of modest warming.
Padraig Moran of CBC radio introduces his story, “Vintners warn a wine shortage could be coming, as they try to adapt to climate change,” saying, “[s]weltering summers and bitterly cold winters have been hindering wine production in B.C., with one winemaker warning that climate change might be cultivating a crisis in the industry.”
I’m unaware that the winemaker interviewed is a climate science expert, and nowhere does he, or the CBC itself, show that long-term trends in weather, which would be evidence of climate change, have hampered grape growth or wine production in Canada. That’s because no such evidence exists.
Indeed, incidents like the late season freeze that harmed British Columbian vintners this year are expected to become less frequent as the climate warms. Also, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports no evidence that lengthy heat waves are becoming more common. Unusual but not uncommon extreme weather events may have stunted grape growth and thus wine production during one or two seasons, but the overall long-term trend for grape and wine production amid ongoing climate change has been positive in Canada.
To be clear, Canada is not, and is not likely to be in the near future, a top wine producing country. However, as reported in the March 6 Climate Realism post by my colleague Linnea Lueken, “Wrong, CBC, Canadian Vineyards are Not Threatened by Climate Change,” some varietals do grow well in Canada. In addition, data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization show that both grape and wine production have increased dramatically since 1990, amid ongoing modest warming. (See the figure below).
Indeed, grape production has grown by more than 86 percent, and wine production increased by more than 97 percent.
Nor, as has been discussed in numerous other Climate Realism posts, here, here, here, and here, for example, is there any evidence that climate change is hampering grape or wine production globally.
Simply put, there is no justification for linking harms caused to British Columbian vineyards by short-term weather events to climate change. Such a story may serve to get CBC’s oenophile listeners up in arms for climate action, but it is false. The truth is that Canada’s small wine industry is growing, as the data clearly demonstrates. Why not publish this good news CBC?
H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., is the Director of the Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy and the managing editor of Environment & Climate News. In addition to directing The Heartland Institute’s Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy, Burett puts Environment & Climate News together, is the editor of Heartland’s Climate Change Weekly email, and the host of the Environment & Climate News Podcast.
“Vintners warn a wine shortage could be coming, as they try to adapt to climate change”
Well they would, wouldn’t they? They want to persuade everyone there’s a shortage so that they can charge more.
Simple.
Wine grapes can actually ripen better in drought conditions. Back in 1976-77 in California the drought forced a later harvest but produced far superior wines. I opened my last bottle of a Riesling from 77 in 2004, (25years later) and it was better than the day it was bottled
“Back in 1976-77 in California the drought forced a later harvest but produced far superior wines.”
As an agriculturally ignorant cog I wonder about the word “but”. If people buy it anyway, who cares what it tastes like?
Edit: … so minimize risk and harvest early.
As an experiment, a later harvest was also attempted in 1978 with the hopes of repeating the outcome. The results were far from similar as the 78 late harvest Riesling aged more like a regular white. It was the layer harvest paired with the drought that likely produced the results.
Taste matters though as anyone buying a wine that tastes like dish water isn’t apt to repeat the purchase
Before I quit drinking my favorite red was Amarone which gets its distinctive taste by leaving the grapes on the vine until they dry out.
Superb wine
Here in the states, we sometimes add raisins and sugar to water then ferment. Makes a fair alcohol, but terrible wine.
That’s the thing with climate change. There is something in it for everybody. More taxes and control for government. Cush jobs and conferences for academia. Increased revenue for everyone from insurance companies to winemakers. A ready excuse for everyone when their hairbrained ideas blow up in their face.
The only loser is the consumer.
The complaint smacks of an amateur wannabe vintner,
My bolding.
Pinot Noir is a late ripening grape that often fall afoul of early frosts. Yet, Pinot makes for some amazing wines in early autumn frost growing areas.
Many vintners persevere through their failures to achieve world class Pinot Noir wines in their successful years.
One winemaker has lost their crop(s) to cold weather and also complains about British Columbia having sweltering summers… So, they whine to a news source.
Tell the ridiculous wannabe vintner that maybe they should grow hops, barley, wheat and oats instead.
From casually following reporting, crop failures in wine or coffee are usually freezes, not excessive heat.
Casually trying to grow citrus in central Texas, the limit was always hard freezes, even though Austin is generally warmer than Concord, California.
Warmunists:
Wine grapes are like most other plants – they grow well when adapted to their particular climate, which is not just a regional climate, but a micro climate (on a particular slope in a particular valley where the winds are favorable at different times of the day) with a particular soil type (terroirs).
That’s why wine is produced all over the world within a fantastic variation of latitude, climate, and terrain. From the extreme heat of the middle east and north African and west Asian deserts to the green valleys of northern France and eastern Canada and northern tier of US states to the deserts of the American southwest and extreme southern parts of Argentina and Chile.
I’ve had some very good reds from Lebanon and Morocco.
That’s one of the fun things about being a wine enthusiast … the varieties of grapes and winemaking styles are unlimited. When I was a kid, good wine was deemed only available from Europe (primarily France, Italy, and Germany). By the 1970s California winemakers started winning international awards and shocking the world. By the 1980s and 1990s American wine drinkers were discovering wines produced in different nations such as Argentina, Australia, Chile and so forth, and wines produced in different parts of the US such as Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, the Carolinas, and so forth.
Talk about climate diversity! Not every wine grape variety grows everywhere – most are especially adapted to particular conditions. If Riesling doesn’t do well in location X, then grow it in location Y, or Z. Or select a different varietal … or cross breed to create your own unique varietal adapted to your particular environment.
Anything and everything to wine about
“…climate change…causing a decline in wine production.”? Yes it is. I personally witnessed this, and it caused me some personal angst. The last harvest of wine grapes in Mendoza, Argentina, the leading wine producing region of Latin America (where I live), had a 40% shortfall due to climate change. That’s right, a late Spring hard freeze destroyed 40% of the harvest. What? Cold is weather and Hot is Climate Change? Sorry, my bad. Never mind.
Anything other than Climate Stagnation IS Climate Change. That’s how they get away with it
Just one hard frost/freeze?
So, not a long term trend of any sort.
You could have them plant America’s concord grapes which have have amazing spring frost resistance and ripen early to avoid harvest failures.
Of course, concord grapes make a lousy wine generally, but a good grape juice.
Wine grape vines instill the local terroir and weather conditions into wines.
Adversity makes for great wines and vintners check grape sugar status as fall progresses towards winter. Many grape growers put off harvest as long as they can seeking maximum sugars.
Farmers can buy insurance for bad weather events that destroy crops which is really buying your own money at a loss on a time payment plan, but for “climate change” you might get money that you don’t have to pay for…free money for crying “Wolf”…potentially good economics…not dumb, these vintners….
IF insurance is available within the state.
State Farm is refusing new Homeowner Policies in CA
And
Allstate is making similar rumblings
I’ve lived in my current house for 22 years and have been with Allstate for 35 years.
Just had a (first time) home inspection, BY ALLSTATE, where I was informed I could be dropped if I didn’t rectify a problem. (There was a sapling growing next to the house that needs removal yearly) its been there for 22 years…grows back every season and I remove it every season. Allstate has become threatning
“free money for crying “Wolf”” about bad weather
plus
“insurance for bad weather”
equals
“potentially good economics”
James Bond movie line: It pays to advertise.
Given the degree of implied or speculated human-caused climate change, we’re going to need high speed AI to counter the large-scale media misinformation (framing). Another reason is they may already be employing a bad AI robot to write these rants.
We’re going to need flame throwers to stop those guys who start fires?
With adequate water, grapes do well in hot weather. They have big leaves and deep roots.
Places such as Spain (see La Rioja) or southcentral Washington State are good examples.This “wine-is-doomed” theme is like a bad weed.
Supply-demand. So many rich old white ladies with TV streaming and Trader Joes bags in the trunk.
Do not try to debate these morons. This is the Ceeb. It has a history of just making stuff up like any other government-owned and controlled media conglomerate. It has a political party line to broadcast. Facts have nothing to do with propaganda.
As us CDNs know, the Ceeb is 70% funded by the federal govt. Both having a climate change agenda. I cringe everytime I read an article on the Ceeb website following an article: ‘Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. “Our Changing Planet” to show and explain the effects of climate change. Keep up with the latest news on our Climate and Environment page.’
As is usual with the CBC, it is science by press release. Scare the people. When you have David Susuki as your chief environmental scientist (a geneticist), you have nothing.
It might be hard for certain companies to hire qualified science people who like what they went to school for,
CBC – Can’t Bother Checking.
When you are a propaganda outfit and have forsaken journalism – this is what you get.
“”Canada’s public broadcaster, ran a story claiming climate change is harming wine production”
The Guardian is even more emphatic:
“”…the long-established and conclusively proven link between fossil fuels and global heating””
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/22/ecological-tipping-points-could-occur-much-sooner-than-expected-study-finds
Cheers!
Hmm… This little gem from one of the lead authors:
“We could realistically be the last generation to see the Amazon.”
Then a description of their methodology:
“Overall, the team, comprised of scientists from Southampton, Sheffield and Bangor universities, as well as Rothamsted Research, looked at two lake ecosystems and two forests, using computer models with 70,000 adjustments of variables.”
Time indeed to reach for a glass or two.
I see the Amazon all the time. The Amazon started driving delivery vans all over my neighborhood a few years ago. The Amazon has also minimized packaging to Save the Planet.
The Amazon is going to disappear eventually – either as a desert, or as a mountain range, or buried under a sea … likely all three eventually due to plate tectonics. Humans will likely disappear long before the Amazon changes much.
Conversely, the Amazon basin could exist until the sun becomes a red giant.
What will change are the surface soils.
Weathered rock degrades into clay;
floods deposit layers of silt;
Storms, fast water and wind all contribute to soil loss;
Fast winds reshape where soils lie;
etc. etc.
These people need help.
Lake Erhai is presently fine – it did not ‘collapse’
Yes it went through a rough patch these last couple of decades,
They’ve sorted those things and the lake is fine
Lies by omission from Grauniad
over abstraction of water?
Is that a form of poorly drawn animation?
Here in BC we got 90 lb of grapes off the arbour shading the patio on each of the past 2 years. This year looks even better.
It’s always a close battle among the CBC, The Guardian and the BBC as to which jumps on the climate change catastrophe bandwagon first. What’s particularly galling is that Canadian and British taxpayers have to finance the first and third of these for their unbalanced environmental reporting.
This just reminds me of a beloved aunt, who was Lebanese. They lived in northern Ontario, well outside of any area where grapes were viable. But she always grew grape vines in the garden – no fruit due to the location, but the leaves were harvested for authentic Lebanese/Syrian grape leaf rolls, Mmmmmmm.
If you can’t prove CAGW scare people with claptrap.
We wouldn’t know it’s cbc if it wasn’t wrong.
Although after two weeks in Europe watching BBC and Skynews I can safely say cbc isn’t the worst.
But they will continue to try.
Interesting to look at climate and grape indicators from Portugal.
It clearly shows that Portugal was warmer than now in mid 1940s and around 1860.
And we all know that CO2 enhances crop growth.
So I think we can call total BS from CBC…. nothing unusual about that !
While it is all good to state that production is up by X the ultimate yardstick is if production is up per acre. When you increase total area planted by 100% one would expect an increase in production after a few years of about the same.
Relative Humidity is more detrimental to grapes then drought, which is when one relies on irrigation, or too much rain (although that should imply a generally higher humidity but it depends for how long). Which is what is called weather.
Vines in Canada will like the extra 0.25 degr C, if that.
It all depends when it rains and when it is dry for a good tasting year.
The journalists that pursue this garbage need to be identified, confronted on camera, and held to account on why obvious questions weren’t asked and obvious lies not countered. It’s the only way to stop this. Letters to the editor don’t stop it. Hell, the NYTimes got rid of its public editor because it found fraud at the paper. Only by making the consequences of bad journalism embarrassing and socially costly will this propaganda stop.
I didn’t go check if Junk Science and and Climate Change were listed but they damn well should be….
Isn’t that right Boris Johnson?
Alcohol consumption may raise risk of over 60 different diseases, NEW study suggests(New diseases – 200 in total)
here