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Recent climate change in the Prince Edward County winegrowing region, Ontario, Canada: implications for adaptation in a fledgling wine industry

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Abstract

There is mounting evidence that climate change is already having an impact on the wine industry, with effects being region specific. In order to understand the capacity of regional wine sectors to adapt to changing climate, it is useful to document the conditions that are important to producers and to identify adaptation and management strategies that are employed in the industry. This paper analyzes climatic conditions and adaptation strategies in the wine region of Prince Edward County Ontario, Canada. Wine producers identified the climate variables most important to their operations and described strategies they use to manage climate-related conditions. The identified variables were analyzed for trends over the study period 1987–2011, and interview data were analyzed in order to categorize adaptive strategies. Results indicate that the wine sector is very sensitive to climate, and the region is already experiencing the effects of climate change, especially with regard to increasing growing season mean minimum daily temperatures, increasing total summer rainfall, and later onset of fall frosts. Adaptive strategies employed by producers are largely learned though collaborative efforts and trial and error. The adaptations are mostly tactical and reactive in the short term, but with continued climate change, these strategies may develop into strategic, anticipatory measures. Climate change has the potential to present both challenges and opportunities to Prince Edward County wine producers, and adaptations will continue to require strong networking and collaborative efforts.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship program and the Canada Research Chairs program. Marie Puddister is thanked for producing the two maps used in this paper, and Gwen Dalton is thanked for aiding in the transcription of the interview data. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions for improvements to this paper.

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  1. Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Tara Holland & Barry Smit

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  1. Tara Holland
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  2. Barry Smit
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Correspondence to Tara Holland.

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Holland, T., Smit, B. Recent climate change in the Prince Edward County winegrowing region, Ontario, Canada: implications for adaptation in a fledgling wine industry. Reg Environ Change 14, 1109–1121 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-013-0555-y

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