Uh oh. Want to tell the Australian wine industry that global warming is "junk science?" Reports like this give all of us involved in this industry cause for pause.
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According to industry groups, Australia's 2008 grape vintage could be cut by more than half thanks to a severe drought in the country's wine-grape producing areas.
This would result in a $2.6 billion (US) cut in the country's export business, possibly forcing hundreds of the country's 7,500 wine-grape growers out of business.
"Some growers will not be able to recover, and some vineyards will be lost as a result of the drought," said Mark McKenzie, executive director of Wine Grape Growers' Australia. "We think some 800 growers are in immediate financial peril, with up to 1,000 at risk over time.
They are broke," he said. The Wine Grape Growers and Winemakers' Federation of Australia estimated that the 2008 vintage is likely to fall to between 800,000 tons and 1.3 million tons in 2008. This is compared with a normal seasonal crop of about 1.9 million ton.
Australia has some 7,500 grape growers.
Source: PlanetArk.org
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