Panic! Global warming to affect wine!

This PhD research noted on the ABC website would have to be one of the most trivial bits of global warming related research I have seen.

"Connoisseurs of Australian wine may have to learn to love a less tasty drop as climate change takes its toll on grape growing regions, a greenhouse conference will hear.

Leanne Webb, a PhD student with CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research says based on her modelling Australia's wine growing regions will become warmer and in almost all cases drier.

The bad news is that the flavour and aroma of grapes may suffer, resulting in poorer quality, less complex wines."

Gosh.

'"In most regions bud burst will be earlier ... and harvest day in all cases will be earlier," she says.

For example, in South Australia's Riverland, Australia's warmest and largest wine producing region, bud burst will occur four days earlier and harvesting will take place eleven days earlier by 2030.'

Panic! Maybe this will convince Howard to ratify Kyoto. He likes wine doesn't he? But wait a minute, there is something good to come from it:

"According to her model, by 2030 Riverina grape growers in New South Wales will need an extra 1500 to 8500 megalitres of water a year to irrigate their crops.

But what growers lose through irrigation they may gain in increased yield, she says.

"When it's warmer you tend to be able to produce more grapes per hectare," she says.'

So it's more wine but of less quality. Since most of the bottles I currently drink are under $10, I can live with this.