Food & Wine USA - (04)April 2020

62 APRIL 2020

B

O

T

T

L

E

S

E

R

V

IC

E

WHAT DOES CLIMATE CHANGE MEAN FOR WINE IN CALIFORNIA? Poten-

tially, dire problems: rising temperatures that render some regions too

hot for the varieties they grow; increases in vine diseases and pests;

fewer cool nights leading to decreased grape quality; temperature spikes

damaging grapes on the vine; and, as is very clear now, increased

instances of forest fires, threatening personnel, harvests, and property.

Beth Novak Milliken, whose family owns Spottswoode Estate Vine-

yard & Winery (spottswoode.com) and who is the chair of the Napa

Valley Vintners’ Environmental Stewardship Committee, says, “This

is not just a Napa Valley issue—it is a planetary issue. All agriculture is

at some risk. Note the massive flooding in the Midwest last spring or

the devastating fires in Australia. There are many more examples.”

What she and winemaker Aron Weinkauf are doing about it is what

forward-looking vintners around the state are doing: figuring out

strategies for the future. At Spottswoode, that means increasing bio-

diversity to deal with higher pest pressures, for instance, by trialing

and planting different rootstocks, and using technology to monitor

water use more precisely. Dan Petroski, the winemaker at Larkmead

Vineyards (larkmead.com), has planted an experimental vineyard

plot with alternative, more-heat-resistant grapes such as Aglianico

and Touriga Nacional. “The future of agriculture here is understanding

and dealing with climate change,” he says.

Large wineries are in this battle, too. Jackson Family Wines (jackson

familywines.com), which produces tens of millions of bottles of wine

each year, conducted an energy audit and determined that using lighter

glass would cut their carbon emissions footprint by 3% and save on

costs at the same time. And last August, in conjunction with UC Davis

and Duarte Nursery, grower Andy Beckstoffer, of Beckstoffer Vineyards

(beckstoffervineyards.com), who farms more than 3,600 acres of

grapes throughout Napa, Mendocino, and Lake counties, launched a

potentially game-changing trial study. He planted 10 different Cabernet

clones on 10 different rootstocks—3,600 vines in all—intending to

measure a vast amount of data over 8 to 10 years and beyond. Beck-

stoffer, for one, is confident that growers and winemakers can work

to help mitigate the effects of a changing climate.

“The quality of California wine has gotten to where it is through a

lot of difficulties—look at phylloxera in the late ’80s—and we’ve han-

dled them. It involves change: what vine trellises look like, how to

prune, what clones to plant. But our grandchildren will be drinking

Napa Valley Cabernet. No doubt about it.”

It’s Getting Hot in Here As

temperatures rise, vintners

plan for the future.

GRENACHE

2018 BIRICHINO BESSON VINEYARD

OLD VINES GRENACHE ($25)

The Besson Vineyard near Gilroy was

planted in 1910, and the fruit from its over-

100-year-old vines produces this trans-

parently ruby-hued Grenache. Take time

to enjoy its beautiful aroma, all wild straw-

berry, pomegranate, and anise notes.

2017 NELLE CENTRAL COAST

GRENACHE ($40)

Winemaker Tyler Russell sources grapes

from up and down California’s Central

Coast for this smoky, peppery Grenache.

It’s rich and mouth-coating but impec-

cably balanced, with succulent acidity to

support all that ripe fruit.

2017 A TRIBUTE TO GRACE SANTA

BARBARA HIGHLANDS VINEYARD

GRENACHE ($45)

Angela Osborne’s Grenaches are sought

after for good reason. She has a gift for

drawing on the variety’s lusciousness

while keeping her wines light, almost

ethereal. This silky red has far more inten-

sity than you’d guess from its pale color.

FW_0420_BottleService.indd 62 FINAL CONTENT 2/19/20 11:08 AM