Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/708909
20 WINES&VINES August 2016 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS M cMinnville, Ore.—The 11th International Ter- roir Congress kicked off in McMinnville with presentations that surveyed the potential effects of climate change in wine-produc- ing regions around the world, including changes in how grapes are grown and how consumers will perceive wines. Antonio Graça, head of re- s e a r c h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t a t Sogrape Vinhos in Avintes, Por- tugal, suggested that growers should use an HACCP-style model (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) for approaching climate change, assessing hazards at criti- cal control points in the produc- tion process. This would include identifying points such as bloom, véraison and harvest, all of which have direct links to temperature, and which have been seen to have been advancing in many areas. H a v i n g i d e n t i f i e d p o i n t s where key production decisions are made, growers need to es- tablish a baseline that outlines current conditions and identify what would mark a significant divergence from the norm as well as a range of tolerance for production purposes that out- lines the risks and opportunities future scenarios entail. This will help growers plan for the future, while regular monitoring would allow growers to forecast what kind of climate might be coming down the pike. "We need to understand cli- mate variability at the local scale," said Renan Le Roux of the Univer- sité Rennes in Rennes, France, arguing for a combination of dy- namic and statistical modeling in charting the impact of climate change. Statistical models are use- ful in grappling with several vari- ables. While often idealized, the conclusions can provide a helpful picture of how local circumstances may evolve when several factors are at play (dynamic models, by contrast, extrapolate from a known starting point). Researchers and growers both have the support of an increas- ingly sophisticated array of data- bases and tools that are giving climate change models the infor- mation they need. Computer science professor David Ebert of Purdue University pointed to the potential of broad databases combining several sources of information into a four-dimensional profile of vine- yards. Many speakers pointed to using data to understand not just the conditions of production, but how viticultural practices—prac- tices that might change—are ex- pressing terroir and affecting the end wine. Given the presentations at this week's congress, the tradition and discussion of terroir will continue well into the future and change in step with the climate. —Peter Mitham Scientists Prep for Effects of Climate Change on Wine Attendees of the International Terroir Congress inspect a soil pit during a site visit to Maysara Winery in the McMinnville AVA.