A Toast to Uncertainty: Climate Change and Oregon’s Wine Industry
When folks think of Oregon, lemme tell ya, a few things often spring to mind right quick. Forests lined with Douglas fir, breath-stealing views of Mt. Hood, the road-trip-worthy Pacific Scenic Byway, or even that quirky little TV show that placed Portland forever on the map of oddball greatness. Yet deep in the heart of many Oregon locals rests an unapologetic love for something else entirely: vineyards and the world-class wines they craft.
Why, you wonder, in this land well-versed in microbreweries (hello, Deschutes and Rogue!) and known for sweeping landscapes straight out of a postcard, would conversation so often turn to wine? Well, friends, the answer lies in the fertile, diverse soil beneath our feet and the equally diverse climates that have gifted us with some of the finest wine-growing regions this side of anywhere.
And boy, do we take advantage of it. The Willamette Valley, a veritable Eden tucked between the Cascades and the Coastal Range, is our crown jewel, garnering international acclaim for its Pinot noir. And let’s not forget Southern Oregon’s warmer climes or the eastern Columbia Gorge, our very own wild west of winemaking. But for all this marvellousness, a bogeyman lurks in the shadows: climate change. And it has our vineyards square in its sights.
Soaking in the Sun, Sweating the Degrees
Y’know, the unpredictable jamboree of the Oregon weather has always both pleased and bedeviled grape growers. The Willamette Valley’s late, cool springs followed by the summer’s golden embrace make for grapes with a balance of sugar and acidity that sings in our Pinot noirs; that’s as true as rain in Astoria. Yet, even our weather-hardened growers are battening down the hatches against the escalating temperatures fueled by climate change.
In the past, warmer years were embraced, delivering a wine that bloomed with bold, ripe flavors. But as temps continue to climb, along with the frequency of “extreme heat events” (as scientists oh-so-calmly call them), the pinch is beginning to be felt. Remember the roasting summer of 2015? Yikes. It brought harvest dates forward a whopping 3 weeks in some vineyards. If you think that’s no biggie, just imagine: a sweltering July-esque heat in June. Heresy, ain’t it?
It’s Not All Drought and Gloom
But hold on now, climate change isn’t just a one-note samba. Though the specter of rising temperatures and thirsty landscapes loom large, Oregon has something of its own up its flannel sleeve – variety. Guess what, the very thing that makes Oregon’s weather so wacky and our landscapes so stunningly diverse, may also offer our wineries a dash of hope on the toasty horizon.
You see, with a planet under fever, it’s likely that established wine regions in warmer parts of the globe will struggle under blistering heat waves. Oregon, with its relatively cooler climate and wide array of grape-tolerant microclimates, could stand to attract wine growers looking for a more temperature-predictable future.
Consider Southern Oregon, bless its sun-soaked heart. With a warmer, drier climate that’s historically been geared towards bolder varietals like Tempranillo and Syrah, this region could find itself perfectly primed for cooler climate grapes like Pinot noir, that may find the future too hot to handle in the Willamette.
Taking Root in Adaptation
To weather this storm, or heatwave, as chances would have it, our homegrown wine industry is fast drawing on that Oregonian spirit of resilience, taking steps to adapt to this shifting climate. They’re finding ways to keep the vines’ canopies lush to shield precious fruit, or carefully selecting rootstocks and grape varieties to withstand warmer vintages – true examples of making lemonade – or in this case, wine – out of climate lemons.
So, as our world changes, so too will the flavors of the wines we clink in celebration, contemplation, or just plain chillaxation. And while uncertainty may be the settin’ of these changing times, resilience and innovation have always been a part of the Oregon story. We can only hope that we continue to fill glasses and raise toasts to Oregon’s wine industry, whatever the forecast. Here’s to our winemakers, lookin’ climate change square in the eye and saying, “I see your temperature rise, and I raise you a darn fine bottle of Oregon adaptability.” And to that, my pals, we say, “Cheers!”