Hardscrabble Journal

Climate change and 40 years of growing grapes in Virginia

In the 1980s it was referred to as global warming. This didn’t really seem all that bad considering that our recent winters had been “bud killing” cold and Cabernet Sauvignon struggled to ripen in the chill of late October. Unfortunately we were to discover that global warming was more than just an increase in temperature. In fact all the other consequences of climate change have given us the greatest problems.

These are some of the impactful climate changes observed in forty years of growing grapes in Virginia:

1.  Hurricanes. In the 1980s the occasional hurricane hit the Outer Banks and then bounced out to sea. They didn’t rank high on the worry list. Today rain remnants of hurricanes can make or break a vintage.

2.  Winter Damage. Forty years ago the winters were colder. The cold predictably began in December and was usually firmly in place by late January. Temperatures well below zero were common. This would often kill a percentage of buds that produced the next year’s crop. Growers learned how to evaluate bud damage and prune accordingly in order to mitigate lost yields. Now we have much warmer winters and bud damage is rarely a problem. However, greatly fluctuating winter temperature swings have caused regular “false springs,” which fool the vines into thinking it is time for the sap to flow. Subsequent cold temperatures reappear, often causing vascular (trunk) damage. This weakens and eventually kills the vines requiring expensive and extensive replanting. This is especially true with young vineyards. It is now becoming increasingly risky to plant vineyards.

3.  More severe thunderstorms (and hail). Thunderstorms used to predictably and quickly sweep by leaving an inch or less of rain. Today they linger. Sluggish storms meander without direction. Occasionally one parks above the vineyard and drops three or four inches of rain. Much worse is the more frequent occurrence of hail associated with these storms. Hail is a game changer where in just a few minutes a crop can be severely damaged or destroyed.

4.  Earlier Harvest dates. This has been an ongoing shift. We are now picking on average ten to fourteen days earlier than in the 1980s. Ripening grapes in the heat of August is unacceptable in terms of wine quality and style. The wines lack personality and verve. The sweet spot for harvest is when the nights are cool. This slower ripening gives us grapes with more aromas, acidity, and tannin interest. 

5.  Damaging spring frosts. Hardscrabble’s first incident of a damaging, yield reducing spring frost was this year (Mother’s Day, May 9). Our springs are becoming increasingly erratic with fluctuating temperature swings. Vines often bud out very early making them susceptible to frost damage for longer periods of time.

6.  Greater vintage variation. A typical vintage would be difficult to define (perhaps 2015?). However, over the past decade our wines have become more stylistic diverse depending on the year they were harvested. 

Farmers don’t like surprises. We are adapting as much as we can, but we are still not sure what we are adapting to. We are trying new farming techniques and new varieties, but these adaptations may take decades to evaluate. Because this is a universal problem, ideas and successes are shared globally with everyone working towards the same goal of adapting to a new climate.

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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: August 7, 2020