CANBERRA: Climate changes appear to be threatening the Australian wine industry. A new study has revealed that global warming will alter the growing seasons for Australian grapes and the increasing temperature will affect the very existence of some varieties.
The study, carried out by the University of Melbourne and the country's top research organization, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), has found that the rising temperatures can change the budburst dates and lead to a shorter growing season and earlier harvest dates. Australia, which is already in the grip of one of its worst-recorded droughts, is heading for a very hot summer.
The study said vineyard owners will now have to re-think on plans to cope with climate change or virtually stop the cultivation.
The lead researcher for the study and a PhD student at the university Leanne Web said the climate during the ripening period in some grape-growing regions will become too warm to produce balanced wines from some or maybe all grape varieties growing there now.
Webb said temperatures in most Australian wine regions were projected to rise by as much as 1.7 degrees Cel by 2030. She said this will reduce grape quality in some regions by 12 to 57 per cent, and some of the major grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay may almost disappear from Australia's mainland. The country will have to select new grape varieties to suit warmer climates, she added.
Regions in the coastal Australia are not impacted as severely as those more inland regions, she said.
The Australian wine industry is the fastest growing rural enterprise with an annual gross value of more than $5 billion, including $2.7 billion in export earnings. The main exports are to the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Canada and Germany.
