, British Columbia’s wine industry facing major climate-change challenges

Vineyard scene in Okanagan Valley.

Wine growing areas in Canada’s western province of British Columbia (BC) have been severely impacted by compounding climate change-related crises this past year, including an extended deep freeze last winter, ongoing drought, and widespread wildfires this past summer.

In response, the BC Wine Grape Council (BCWGC) recently commissioned an assessment of the BC wine industry, and it has come to some alarming conclusions. It reported that 29% of BC’s 5,132 vineyard hectares are estimated to have succumbed to winter damage. Another 30% are estimated to suffer from permanent viral disease and require replanting to avoid mass spreading, meaning that up to 3,032ha of vines will need to be replanted. Estimated costs for the replant are between CA$162 million and CA$317 million.

The BCWGC study urged the Canadian federal and provincial governments to fund the vine renewal programme or face a significant contraction in BC’s wine industry.

‘The challenges facing grape growers and winemakers today are unlike anything we have experienced in the past,’ said BCWGC chair Ross Wise MW. ‘Climate change disasters along with increased incidence of virus and disease pressure are threatening the economic viability of our industry and we need funding in order to combat these major issues.’

The BCWGC study confirmed an earlier Winter Bud Damage Report, which estimated a vineyard crop loss of 54% across the board, resulting in a 20% reduction in vineyard and winery employment (totalling almost 400 lost jobs), a CA$133 million decrease in the total revenues of BC vineyards

This Article was originally published on Decanter

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