Global Warming will signficantly impact Wine production world-wide

If you are a wine drinker, you need to be concerned about global warming and its effect on wine growing regions around the world. Whether you are ignoring the facts of man's impact on global warming or you understand the fact that we are contributing signficantly to the natural warming factors already at work in our environment, as a wine lover, you need to be fearful of the future and what it means to your beloved beverage.

You have already seen some of the impact of the warming environment in areas like Germany, which has seen average temperatures jump to the point that they are having a hard time making the fresh, high acid, zippy kabinett rieslings we have all come to enjoy (at fair prices too). The grapes have been getting too ripe, above the kabinett level, and there is no way to make this type of wine with these riper grapes.

I have read projections that within 100 years, wine growing regions south of the latitude of Washington State will be too hot to grow quality wine. Areas like Washington will have riper conditions and will need to switch the type of grapes that they grow. Now you might think "no big deal, just move wine production to Canada and Greenland and Norway". The problem is these areas do not receive the correct amount nor the proper light exposure to produce quality wine. Further, finding the proper soil types and other climate factors (rain levels, timing of rain, etc.) is likely to be difficult if not impossible.

The prediction is that within 100 years it will be nearly impossible to grow high quality vinifera grapes in the US and maybe anywhere.

If that doesn's scare the stuffings out of you, you are just being ignorant. Maybe you won't live to see this but your children and/or grandchildren will. Don't you want them to have the opportunity to enjoy wine as you have.

So do your part, fight global warming, drive a Prius, recycle, support projects to reduce our impact on our environment and push the government to get in the game. Barack Obama has one of the most cogent plans for fighting Global Warming. There is no doubt that the earth will try to heal itself but we must do our part for our children, our grandchildren and to save the vines.