For some Niagara-region winemakers and grape growers, adapting to climate change is a matter of survival

Extreme weather continues to hit the global wine industry hard, but winemakers and grape growers in Ontario's Niagara region are finding ways to adapt to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Spring frost blasted through France last year, which resulted in the country experiencing its smallest harvest since 1957, costing the industry around $2 billion US in sales. But a growing number of winemakers in Europe are embracing sustainable practices to conserve energy, reduce water and maintain healthy soils in the face of extreme weather.

Some wineries in Ontario's Niagara region are following suit to adapt to the effects of climate change such as drought, heat waves and prolonged rainfall.

"I cringe at the words polar vortex," said Bob Nedelko, the owner of Ivan's Vineyard, referring to the weather phenomenon that often pushes cold, Arctic-like conditions to southern Canada and has been known to destroy entire grape crops in the province. 

The Niagara winemaker said he was prepared to experience good years and bad when he bought his vineyard in 2008, but climate change wasn't something he thought about. That's now changed.

"I've been able to witness some of the effects of it over time," he said. 

Nedelko said heavy rains last fall, followed by freezing temperatures, caused some of his vines to die.

Nedelko is not alone in embracing sustainable practices. His vineyard is one of 53 listed by Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario Certified (SWO), which certifies wineries and vineyards as sustainable.  The organization says it takes into account how vintners and growers manage a variety of factors that relate to sustainability, including soil health, biodiversity, water management, waste management and energy efficiency.  Participants then undergo third-party auditing annually to ensure they adhere to these environmentally sustainable practices.  "There's a big focus on trying to understand when is the best time to water or irrigate the grapes. How little is enough? How can we look at reducing the amount of water?" said Andrea Kaiser, chair of SWO and brand manager at Reif Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Kaiser said wineries and grape growers are increasingly dealing with the effects of extreme weather and finding sustainable ways to adapt is crucial from an environmental and economic perspective.  "Being sustainable also means being able to keep the farm in business for future generations so that it stays farmland and doesn't become developed," she said. "There really isn't a choice. This is going to be absolutely critical for the future of our industry."

Teaching the next generation of winemakers about sustainability and climate change has become a key focus at Niagara College.

"The science is well established," said winemaking professor Gavin Robertson about climate change.

"Mother Nature throws all kinds of different weather at you. But what's new is probably the frequency of extreme, unpredictable weather events. So, farmers need tools to address this."

Robertson said discussing the importance of installing irrigation to ward off drought or setting up wind machines to help pull warm air down on cold nights weren't things winemakers considered decades ago. 

But today the conversation is changing among growers in the industry and educators.