Preparing for a changing and more variable climate

Climate change has the potential to reshape the Australian wine industry. Regions will be
differentially impacted and will respond according to their unique viticultural,
environmental, economic and social characteristics.

An industry forum and regional workshop series was held in Western Australia focusing
on three wine regions: Margaret River, Pemberton and Mount Barker. Fine scale climate
information (mesoscale maps) and overviews of current and emerging technologies and
resources that can be used by the wine industry to plan for and manage the risks and
opportunities resulting from a changing and variable climate were presented. The
information indicated that the wine regions in South West Western Australia (SWWA) will
remain ideally suited to further viticulture development for the production of high quality
grapes and wine in the future. Grape and wine producers identified seven key strategic
areas where they will need support in order to manage the impacts of climate change.
Producers developed detailed plans for actions they would like to see happen in their
regions on climate information and projections, variety suitability and choices, vineyard
water resources and water use, and vineyard management.

The information outlined in this report has been compiled in collaboration with the
specialist speakers at the forum and regional workshops: Prof. Tom Lyons, Murdoch
University; Prof. Snow Barlow, Melbourne University; Dr. Tony Proffitt, AHA
Viticulture; Dr. Erika Winter, GrapeLinks; Dr. Leanne Webb, CSIRO/Melbourne
University; Dr. Victor Sadras, South Australian Research and Development Institute; Paul
Petrie, Fosters Group; Dr. Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western
Australia and Nyamdorj Namjildorj, Curtin University of Technology.