Climate change and the evolution of the Ontario cool climate wine regions in Canada

ABSTRACT

The anthropogenic-driven changes witnessed in the global climate over the last several decades are often manifest in the world’s wine regions in form of climate variability, extreme weather events and the gradual evolution of their thermal and precipitation regimes. The cool climate wine regions, such as those in Canada, on the climatic margins of commercial viticulture are likely to benefit from this gradual warming trend, but not without attendant risks. This study evaluates the evolution of the climates in Ontario’s principal cool climate wine regions to determine their variability and evolution based on long-term data for the period 1970–2015. Non-parametric time series and standard descriptive statistics are used to analyse long-term trends in key bio-climatic indices and precipitation variables related the winter and April–October growing season conditions. The results indicate high inter-annual variability of the thermal and moisture attributes, but accompanied by a gradual warming of the growing season and the evolution from a cooler climate to a warmer climate that could positively affect wine quality.

KEYWORDS:

• Climate change
• Ontario’s wine regions
• analysis
• evolution
• impacts

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Loris Gasparotto, the cartographer, for his assistance in preparing the illustrations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

The financial support for this research is provided by the Ontario Research Fund, Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation and is administered by the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University. Funds to undertake this project are greatly appreciated.