8 minute read
Protecting The Vines
How Wisconsin winemakers are adapting to climate change
Molly Meister
Molly Meister is a public information officer in the DNR’s Office of Communications.
It’s a brisk cold morning in mid-December, with the mercury hovering around 15 degrees. While many of us are snuggling under blankets or enjoying a warm cup of coffee, Philippe Coquard and his small team of workers are bundled up braving the elements and handpicking frozen grapes on their 27-acre vineyard in Prairie du Sac.
These special grapes, known as St. Pepin, are on their way to becoming Wollersheim’s award-winning ice wine, known for its intensely sweet taste, almost like liquid honey. Affectionately known as the “nectar of the vines,” it’s a holiday treat that pairs well with cheesecake, pecans and other desserts.
Ice wine is among dozens of specialty wines sourced from grapes grown around the state. It joins the ranks of wines created with other Midwestern grape varieties bred to thrive in Wisconsin’s historically cooler climate.
However, as state temperatures fluctuate between unseasonal highs and lows, and Wisconsin experiences extremes of droughts or heavy precipitation, local winemakers are feeling the effects of climate change.
‘WORST OF BOTH WORLDS’
Early in the 2023 growing season, Wollersheim lost 70% of its grape crop due to weather-related stress. The area had experienced temperatures north of 80 degrees in early April, and the plants began budding prematurely.
When a late spring frost hit, the buds did not survive, recalled Coquard, owner and head winemaker at Wollersheim.
“We have been seeing spring starting earlier, and the warmer temperatures cause the vines to start growing and budding out earlier, but then you have a cold snap and the buds get waterlogged and turn into little ice cubes,” Coquard said. “It’s devastating not only for us but for all the apple growers and fruit tree growers as well.”
Steve Vavrus, state climatologist at UW-Madison, said this is one example of a growing trend.
“These warming spring temperatures could mean the worst of both worlds,” he said. “You not only have a freeze to deal with, but you now have vulnerable plants, which had there not been the early warm-up, would have remained dormant and protected from that subsequent cold.”
DEVASTATING DROUGHT
Aside from the early warming spell, a persistent drought plagued Wisconsin crop growers for most of the 2023 growing season. For Colleen Halverson, co-owner of the 80-acre Wild Hills Winery in Muscoda, the drought caused severe problems for their grapevines.
“We experienced this incredible rain deficit, and that’s fine to an extent,” Halverson said. “The vines love the heat, they love the sun, and we do want the vines to experience some distress, because that’s what channels the plants’ energy into the fruit.
“But then we started seeing extreme distress. The leaves were starting to wilt, so we had to water them manually, which is unheard of.”
Halverson and her husband, Aaron, have helmed the small winery since 2019, and this summer was their first experience with drought conditions.
“A lot of wineries that are a little older and more established than us have drip systems and irrigation systems, but we have nothing like that,” she said. “So for us, it was like my husband buying yards and yards of hose at Walmart, strapping a big container of water on the back of the tractor and just going through and dumping water over our grapes.”
Heading into the winter, the Halversons are concerned about how the drought will affect their vines — especially the 500 baby vines they planted in the spring. They’re hoping all the watering they did will protect the young vines from dying off, but it’s a waiting game to see what will come back in spring.
WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS
When it comes to climate change, another obstacle crop growers face is unpredictably heavy rainfall. In between long bouts without any rain, the handful of summer storms that do roll in can be detrimental to farmers, Vavrus noted.
“Getting a lot of rainfall at once is bad for any sort of crop,” he said. “It can lead to flooding, runoff and damage if the plants suddenly find themselves in standing water because they simply can’t absorb it all.”
Coquard has experienced that first-hand.
“In comparison, drought is easier to manage because you can always turn the water on, but you cannot turn it off,” he said. “Excessive rain is also a very serious issue because, in addition to erosion, it can also lead to fungus and weed growth.”
These climate change-related challenges are not unique to grapes and winemaking — corn, soybean and other crop farmers are experiencing similar difficulties. So are livestock farmers.
“Farmers have to try and keep livestock cool during heat waves. We saw very extreme heat in late August, and to a lesser degree over Labor Day weekend,” Vavrus said of 2023 conditions. “You can have these sophisticated cooling systems with big fans that spray water. They're very effective, but they're not cheap.
“These are the sorts of adaptation measures that we can certainly implement in a changing climate, but it's a cost/ benefit ratio. If you're a farmer, it's all about the bottom line.”
A LIFE OF ITS OWN
The effects of climate change on Wisconsin agriculture are undeniable, but there is hope.
As a 13th-generation winemaker, Coquard has been in the business for over 40 years and has seen it all. Like the winemakers before him, he knows he and his team can adapt to whatever challenges they might face.
Over the decades, for example, Coquard has learned to diversify species, irrigate, mulch, mow, spray, try new equipment — whatever it takes to keep the grapes healthy.
While the growing tactics might change from year-to-year, he finds comfort in the predictable winemaking process itself. At the end of the day, Coquard is still making wine the same way his predecessors did centuries ago.
Halverson finds inspiration in the resiliency of the grapes. “They have to be tough, and they have to be able to withstand those incredible extremes,” she said.
She even sees an upside in the difficult conditions of this past growing season.
“I think we're going to see some pretty high-quality wines this year because of the heat and the drought. I think it just really concentrated a lot of great flavor into the grapes,” she said.
“The vineyard has a life of its own. It's an organic being in the sense that it will grow and do what it needs to do and adapt. And that's what's amazing about it.”
LEARN MORE
The Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, a joint effort of the DNR and UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, includes an Agriculture Working Group that studies, creates and shares adaptation strategies for Wisconsin’s wide variety of agricultural industries. For information, check wicci.wisc.edu/agriculture-working-group. For more about Wollersheim Winery, go to wollersheim.com, and for Wild Hills, see wildhillswinery.com.
Winter Warmer
Mulled wine — also called gluhwein in German, which translates to “glow wine” — can be a warm treat for a cold day. Here’s a simple recipe for gluhwein from Colleen Halverson, co-owner of Wild Hills Winery in Muscoda, who lived for a time in Germany and learned some gluhwein-making tips.
1 bottle of red wine
¼ cup honey (more or less, to taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
8 allspice berries
3 star anise
3 tangerines, sliced
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker on low heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and it’s ready to serve.
Pair it with a creamy and salty cheese such as aged cheddar, blue cheese or camembert and roasted nuts and you’ll have the perfect combination for an evening spent with a book by the fire, holiday parties and everything in between.
Like what you've read and want more? Now through Jan. 2, 2024 subscribe to the print version of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine and get 5 issues for $5 (normally $8.97 for four). Don't delay. Subscribe yourself or give a gift online today.
