Climate change a challenge for Australia winemakers

Orange, Australia

WHEN an unprecedented heatwave hit South Australia state, home to the world-renowned Barossa Valley winemaking region, viticulturists fretted about the impact on their grapes.

The crops survived, but the extreme weather last year was a reminder of how climate change can hurt a resurgent A$2 billion (S$2.1 billion) export industry boosted by Chinese thirst for Australian premium red wine. "I've been here for 20 years . . . and we're seeing more severity in the weather," winemaker James Sweetapple told AFP at his vineyard in Orange, a picturesque town 250 kilometres north-west of Sydney. "The wet years are much, much wetter, the dry years are much drier and much hotter."