Episode #528 - California Wine Month -

California Celebrates Wine Month as Experts Fret the Imminent Climate Change Buzz-Kill

As Charles Dickens famously wrote at the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.” While we never like to focus on any bad news when it comes to wine, there is a lot of attention being focused on the effects of climate change on the wine industry. It’s not just something that is being anticipated. The rising temperatures are already forcing forward-thinking producers to come up with a strategy to protect the Golden State’s most prestigious agricultural product. When it comes to issues like this, there’s no better person to turn to than Allison Jordan, a frequent guest on Grape Encounters who holds two very important titles. Allison is both the Vice President, Environmental Affairs at the Wine Institute in California and also the Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.

Allison speaks often about the complex topic of global warming’s impact on wine production, and on this episode of Grape Encounters, she gives a very thorough rundown of what’s happening, what we can expect and how winemakers in California and beyond are thoughtfully addressing the issue with proactive measures.

But, in the interest of not being a Debbie downer, David dedicates half the show to perhaps the very best thing that happens in California each year: California Wine Month. This is a time when wine enthusiasts flock to the many wine regions of the California to join in on an almost limitless number of celebrations that feature any wine related activity you can possibly imagine. From statewide grape stomps to culinary extravaganzas and red carpet rolled out at countless wineries, September will see hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to wine countries stretching from one end of the state to the other in search of the ultimate good time and also some great educational opportunities as well. And it’s not all about California, because this is the beginning of harvest across the country, and if you can’t make it to California, it’s likely that the wine country closest to you will also be sharing in the celebrations that herald the most important time of year in the world of wine. Who better to bring this story to you than the folks at Total Wine & More; sponsors of Grape Encounters Radio. One thing is certain… every day of the year is a celebration of wine at Total Wine & More. Check out their website often to see the many things going on at your nearest Total Wine store. The address is simply TotalWine.com.

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