Now California

First there were predictions about the European wine regions vis-a-vis global warming.  Now we have some predictions for California:

"According to the study, published in July in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 60 percent of the best terrain for premium grapes will be lost by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. And the picture is particularly grim for California, currently responsible for 90 percent of the country’s wine grape production.

Most of the remaining top-quality acreage will shift northward to the Pacific Northwest. California will retain and possibly gain a little bit of territory along the coast, but the inland vineyards, including those in Napa Valley and Sonoma County, will be lost.

"There’s a tremendous amount of culture and value that’s associated with the wine industry where it is," Field said. "It would be a heavy price to pay if we had to move out of there."

It strains the mind to imagine what California wine might look like in 2030.