JANUARY 2020 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Shifting climate brings changes to


vineyard practices Earlier harvests, greater disease pressure face growers


by TOM WALKER KELOWNA – Wine grape


growers discussed strategies to adapt to a changing climate at the BC Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network (ACARN)’s fourth annual workshop in Kelowna, December 2. The primary impact climate change will have on growers is a shift in where grapes are grown. “I would argue that the


mystical set of things that we call terroir is mostly about climate,” says Elizabeth Wolkovich, an associate professor in forest and conservation sciences at UBC in Vancouver. “With climate change, we are effectively reshaping the terroir of every wine-growing region in the world.” Wolkovich cited studies


from France, which has the best long-term harvest records. Burgundy, for example, is now harvesting grapes two to three weeks earlier than was usual prior to the 1980s, while the average temperature in Bordeaux has increased some 1°-1.5°C over the same period. “These shifts obviously


affect the quality of the berries winemakers are getting,” she says. To counteract that, the Bordeaux AOC has approved new varieties to be used in their blends, subject to final approval by France’s Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite (INAO). Earlier harvest dates also


mean grapes will be harvested at a warmer point in the year. This will alter the character of the finished wine, Wolkovich notes. “It is going to be hard not to be harvesting berries with higher sugar, which is going to lead to higher-alcohol


wines with higher pH and lower acidity,” she explains Given predictions that temperatures will warm by at least one degree by 2050, Wolkovich says 25% to 73% of the world’s current wine- growing regions will be too hot to handle the grape varieties they’re currently harvesting. “We tend to look only at the top 12 varieties grown in the world,” Wolkovich notes. “In fact, there are 1,100 wine grape varieties that are grown worldwide and many of them are very heat- tolerant.” Portugal and southern


Italy, for example, which are some of the hottest places in the world to grow grapes, have none of the world’s top varieties, Wolkovich says. “If we change the cultivars


that we plant, we will only lose 25% of the current wine growing regions,” says Wolkovich. “There is a lot of good diversity out there that we do not know much about.”


Chad Douglas, head viticulturist for Quails’ Gate Estate Winery in West


13


Summerland Research and Development Centre plant pathologist José Ramón Úrbez Torres demonstrates the use of a spore trap. Úrbez Torres led a three-year study to track the presence of fungal pathogens in Okanagan vineyards to help determine the best time to control disease. TOM WALKER FILE PHOTO


Kelowna, expanded on Wolkovich’s comments regarding the loss of varietal character and consistency. “Every grape variety has an ideal climate range,” he says. “All stages in a grape vine’s production cycle are affected by climate and they in turn contribute to the character of the wine as well as the amount of yield.” Pinot Noir, an important


variety for the Okanagan, has a very narrow climate band. If


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the average temperature at a vineyard site increases as much as 2°C, it becomes too hot for Pinot Noir. Once a vineyard is established, there are limited ways that growers can manage a vine for changes in the climate ranging from cover crops, adjustments in irrigation, reducing crop load and pruning, Douglas notes.


Climate change will also lead to an increase in disease pressure. Powdery mildew and


botrytis are two fungal diseases that will likely impact Okanagan vineyards more as temperatures rise and more summers become rainier and more humid.


See CHANGING on next page o Under the Terms of the Bylaws of the Association


Members are Directed to Take Notice of the 131st Annual General Meeting of the


BRITISH COLUMBIA FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION


February 11-12, 2020 At the COAST CAPRI, KELOWNA


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2020 BUSINESS SESSION (1 PM–5 PM) • Annual Report of the Board of Directors; • Financial statements, budget, and any Special Resolutions; • Annual reports of subsidiaries: • BC Research and Development Orchard Ltd. • Summerland Varieties Corporation;


• Guest speakers and reports of industry organizations and companies; • Committee reports and resolutions for delegate consideration.


WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 POLICY SESSION (8:30 AM–1:30 PM) • Guest speakers and reports of industry organizations & companies; • Special reports; • Committee reports and resolutions for delegate consideration; • Election of the BCFGA Executive at 1:30 pm


SOCIAL - A Social will be held on Tuesday evening. All members and government and industry organization representatives are invited to attend the social from 6 – 8 pm on Tuesday, February 11 at the Coast Capri Kelowna.


250.851.3101 Toll Free 1.888.851.3101


Armstrong 4193 Noble Road 250.546.3141 Toll Free 1.800.661.3141


All members and industry and government representatives welcome. Lunch provided on Wednesday.


BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION office: 880 Vaughan Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 7E4 250-762-5226 (T) www.bcfga.com


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