Managing Grapevines through Severe Heat: A Survey of Growers after the 2009 Summer Heatwave in South-eastern Australia

Abstract

A survey of 92 vineyards, representing 10 winegrowing regions in south-eastern Australia, soon after exposure to a severe heatwave, revealed variation in the reported heat-related impact. This variation was observed between regions, within regions and within vineyards. Notably the estimates of losses were not always related to the amount of heat above a certain threshold but to the management practices employed in the lead-up and through the event. Applicable and achievable recommendations for managing severe heat events have resulted from this assessment. We believe this method of capturing information from the diverse knowledge-base of managers is a very effective way to reveal potential adaptive capacity to a changing climate.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank all the vineyard managers who so willingly participated in the interviews during a busy time of the season. We also wish to thank Graeme Russell (Macquarie University) who assisted with development of the survey questionnaire, Adam Peitch (CCW, Riverland) and Ian Smith (CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research) for helpful suggestions. Thanks also to Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC) for funding the project.

Notes

This work was presented at the 14th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference held in July 2010 in Adelaide, Australia. It was included in the session addressing the topic ‘Adapting to climate change and reduced water availability’. While a slightly longer version of this article will be published in the conference proceedings, permission from the conference secretariat has been granted to also publish in this special issue on climate change for the Journal of Wine Research.