Climate Change
Is Napa Valley the Canary in the Coal Mine?
Climate Change, the Bad, the Good and the Unknown…
One morning in July 2006, newspapers across the nations read that the global wine industry is doomed. A widely-reported study from Purdue University, funded by NASA and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, asserted that global warming will reduce viable wine grape acreage in the United States by more than 80%, and make it impossible to grow high-quality wine grapes in many of the currently outstanding wine regions by the end of this century.
While the news was titillating and made for dramatic headlines that Napa's famed wine industry was doomed, the headlines belie the fact that there is a lot that is unknown about climate change as it affects the wine industry and particularly, Napa Valley. While most agree that reduction of greenhouse gases and curtailment of global warming should be the cornerstone of forward-thinking business and environmental policy, winegrowers in Napa Valley are poised to look at not only what they can do within their own environment, but also how they can help shape future policy world-wide because of their high-profile agricultural product. If as the headlines imply, Napa's wine industry is the canary in the coal mine, no one can look at the Napa Valley wine industry and think, "boy those guys are in bad shape," just as the coal miner doesn't look to the canary gasping for air and say, "tough break for that canary." Perhaps individuals can look at the signs to see what can be done to shape a responsible future.
To that end Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), the non-profit trade association with nearly 300 winery members in Napa, have created a Climate Change Task Force, working with noted geophysicists from Scripps Institute of Oceanography and their own pool of vineyard owners and managers to learn what is really happening in Napa Valley to date and then project a more accurate model for how they might adjust farm practices to maintain Napa's leadership role in viticulture and winemaking.
They engaged the scientists at Scripps specifically because they deal with the ocean's effect on this specific climate, the single-most important influence on weather in Napa. None of the studies to date have factored in the unique micro-climates of Napa when projecting climate models. There is some suggestion that Napa Valley might actually become cooler as interior valleys warm, because of the influence of fog from the Pacific. As Mark Twain wrote in the 19th century, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco," which is because the warmer it is in California's Central Valley, the cooler it is along the coast. Fog is what moderates this region's climate so dramatically in the growing season famous for warm days, influenced by interior heat and cool nights, brought about by the proximity to the coast. Of note, the two warmest years on record have been 1998 and 2005, which were two of the coolest growing season in Napa Valley, so it seems there is much more to learn regarding climate modeling as it affects California's coastal microclimates.
The process is underway to more fully understand what vintners and growers need to be prepared for in the short and long term to maintain their industry. The philosophy is somewhat dated, but absolutely still applies, "Act Locally, Think Globally." The NVV is leading in sustainable agricultural practices like its signature certification program, Napa Green Land, where there are currently 19,000 acres of land in the Napa River watershed enrolled in a program largely based on Fish Friendly Farming, yet tailored to the specific environments of Napa Valley. The program looks at all aspects of a grape grower's land, not just the planted vineyard acreage, but the roads, buildings and non-farmed land. Growers large and small are enrolled in the program and enrollment and certification have been increasing rapidly.
In the short term, there is a lot winegrowers can do in the vineyard to curtail the harmful affects of climate change. Canopy management is a critical tool that can protect fruit from heat during the day. Fruit hanging on the vine can be ten to fifteen degrees cooler under the shade of the leaves than the ambient air temperature. Leaf thinning and shoot pulling can provide greater air flow around clusters to curtail mold and mildew. These are just a few of the practices in play that currently help produce high quality grapes. Grapevines are very adaptable and vineyard practices can go a long way to minimize climatic effect. But, for all a vintner can do in the vineyard, the winegrowers in Napa don't operate in a vacuum.
In the film An Inconvenient Truth, the viewer, surprisingly, leaves with a hopeful view of the future and how everyone can play a part to reverse the human effects of global warming. From homes to offices, to simple daily practices, everyone can make a difference. The 18 Second Project as part of the EPA's Energy Star "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign tells us that if each person in the US replaced one light bulb in their home to a compact florescent, the nation would reduce greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from 800,000 cars. It is measured that it takes eighteen seconds to change a light bulb, these bulbs use two-thirds less energy and give off seventy percent less heat than a standard 60-watt bulb.
Consider checking out the website idealbites.com where an idea is given each day on how to live a "greener" life. These hints, as they say on the site, are for real people, "SUV-driving soccer moms who shop at Whole Foods." Because at the end of the day, everyone plays a role in making sure the future is filled with fine wine from the Napa Valley.