No whine from California wineries so far

In what may the highest possible use of solar energy, wine grapes have ripened in vineyards across the northern hemisphere. I checked with the California Wine Institute and they say there's been some pattern of slightly earlier harvests, but annual variations based on that season's weather patterns are still dominant. This season was dry and cool with harvests are about 1-2 weeks earlier than usual. However, 2005 and 2006 were both later harvests because of late spring rains which delayed the beginning of the growing season.

You can check on the recent harvest reports here.

It's not just temperatures and weather that may be altered by climate change. One scientist at UC Davis is following the increase in atmospheric CO2. Dr. David Smart has done work on the effects of elevated CO2. Not just temperature and rainfall could be affected, but there may be changes in the basic process of how the vines get their nutrition from the soil if the nitrogen cycle is affected by atmospheric changes.

So far, there's no evidence in California of the kind of extreme changes reported in some French wine-growing regions.