Wine 2 Hot - Global Warming is DESTROYING the Wine Industry

` GLOBAL WARMING SPELLS DISASTER FOR MUCH OF THE MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR WINE INDUSTRY What next? Food Security at risk. Areas suitable for growing premium wine grapes could be reduced by 50 percent - and possibly as much as 81 percent - by the end of this... More

` GLOBAL WARMING SPELLS DISASTER FOR MUCH OF THE MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR WINE INDUSTRY What next? Food Security at risk. Areas suitable for growing premium wine grapes could be reduced by 50 percent - and possibly as much as 81 percent - by the end of this century, according to a study Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper indicates increasing weather problems for grapes in such areas as California s Napa and Sonoma valleys. The main problem: An increase in the frequency of extremely hot days, according to Noah Diffenbaugh of the department of earth and atmospheric sciences at Purdue University. Grapes used in premium wines need a consistent climate. When temperatures top about 95 degrees they have problems maintaining photosynthesis and the sugars in the grapes can break down, Diffenbaugh said in a telephone interview. "The lion s share of the industry is in California, so it s a huge concern from a wine quality standpoint. " -James A. Kennedy, profes Less