The Dizzying Cycle Of Winemaking And Climate Change

Winemakers are innovatively reacting to climate change in what they produce and how they package their products.

Hauling roughly 1,000 pounds of grapes is a normal day for natural winemaker Jason Charles as he gets ready to produce a new vintage of his Vinca Minor wine in Northern California.

“My first jobs up in Napa Valley were always working with really thoughtful winemakers, farmers, where organics mattered,” he said. “And you could see the difference; you could taste the difference.”

The idea of tasting the difference came full circle for Charles in 2020, when smoke taint from the disastrous Glass Fire ruined his red grapes. The fire destroyed more than 67,000 acres of land in Napa and Sonoma Counties, according to Cal Fire.