Climate Change Threatens Fine Wine Production

Climate change, it appears, is not agreeable with Californian-grown fine wines. According to a study from the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University released last week, a 1 degree Celsius uptick (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in average global temperatures would potentially shrink the amount of suitable land for growing top tier wines in California, specifically Napa Valley and the Santa Ynez Valley, by an estimated 20 to 50 percent by the year 2040. The study, which focused explicitly on the type of environment needed to grow only the top quarter of the most expensive wines on the market, used climate modeling to come to its conclusion. The researchers also predicted that, by 2040, Napa and Santa Ynez would not only see an increase in the average daily temperature during growing season but also a marked increase in the number of days when temperatures top 95 degrees Fahrenheit.