Impact of new vineyards felt as climate changes

[Robin Garr]

There's a fascinating article about vineyards and climate change in today's New York Times: As warming weather prompts vine growers to look at new vineyard properties in regions not previously thought ideal for great wine grapes, it's emerging that vineyards themselves aren't exactly great environmental neighbors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/scien ... ef=science

I thought it was already understood that vineyards come with environmental impacts. First if its not convesion of already existing farmland to grapes then there is the deforestation requried for planting. After that, its the chemical run off, the increased water usage and the burning of fossil fuels to manage the vineyard. This is irrelevant on if the vineyard is in existing viticultural areas or new ones. Did this concern not exist during the expansion periods of existing viticultural areas? Napa and Sonoma added 25,000 acres of vineyard land from 1989-1999 http://migration.ucdavis.edu/cf/comments.php?id=60_0_2_0.

[Robin Garr]

I thought it was already understood that vineyards come with environmental impacts.

I'm sure that's true, Brian. I take the "gee whiz" factor here to be that folks in areas that haven't had vineyard culture may not realize what's in store as changing climate opens them up to possible development.

I thought it was already understood that vineyards come with environmental impacts.

I'm sure that's true, Brian. I take the "gee whiz" factor here to be that folks in areas that haven't had vineyard culture may not realize what's in store as changing climate opens them up to possible development.

I know growers in my area that try to spray before sun up as the genaral population does not understand the use of chemicals in grape growing and it makes them uncomfortable. They also don't understand that going organic will not eliminate the sprays but will instead increase them. I am sure that most people who have at most visited a few vineyards have no real understanding of what is involved.