PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – From award-winning Pinot to crisp Chardonnay, the success of Oregon’s wine industry is closely tied to the state’s climate and growing seasons. After a frosty start in 2022, Oregon winemakers gathered in Portland for the 2023 Oregon Wine Symposium to discuss the 2023 climate outlook.
“Weather and climate is really the critical driver of how we manage our vines, how we produce wine every year,” Greg Jones, wine climatologist and CEO of Roseburg’s Abacela Winery, told KOIN 6 News.
It’s vital for wine grape growers to understand climate impacts in the past and the future, Jones says, in order to adapt to what the season will bring.
“2022 was an interesting year, we had kind of a tale of two extremes. On the front end of the season, it was quite cold and quite wet. We started April coming out of a little bit of a warm period in March and when we did, we had a little bud break so, the vines were starting to wake up from the spring and then all of a sudden, it turned cold and wet, and we had a frost.” Jones said.
Jones said after the April frost, Oregon remained cold and wet until June, which he says is unique for the state’s climate. The climatologist said Oregon then had a successful growing season where he says a lot of recovery happened after some vines were damaged from frost.
“But everything that happened the rest of the summer, was just really glorious and then as we were heading into that home stretch, so to speak – when everyone’s looking at the rains in September or the cold coming in October – we had an absolutely spectacular fall. It was a turnaround that was just for the record books. It was one of the warmest and driest periods,” Jones said.
He added “we went from a lot of concern and worry early on to absolutely everyone being thrilled and happy with the vintage.”
Looking ahead to 2023, Jones says the conditions that drove 2022’s cold spring are still place as the region’s faces a “triple-dip La Nina.” He also highlighted cold offshore temperatures could also lead Oregon to another cold spring.
“The current conditions out there are really important because the longer it stays cold into March, the better off we’re likely going to be,” Jones said — adding Oregon wine grape growers need the weather to stay cold through mid-April and then turn to slow-warming temps.
“The current forecast says we have the potential still for frost this coming year, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we won’t have it as bad and as long drawn out as we did last year,” Jones said.
While frosty conditions are one concern for Oregon growers, Jones says the industry should also think of ways to adapt to warming climate trends.
“I think you have to look at the past really to understand this. The Oregon wine industry really didn’t exist prior to 1860,” Jones said. “The early pioneers that planted here, planted in a really cold, short-growing season, wet harvest period type of climate. You fast forward those 60 years from then to now, we’re in an environment now that the ability to ripen the varieties we grow from in the state of Oregon’s completely changed,” Jones explained.
“We benefitted tremendously from climate change over the last 60 years or so. So, then the question is, what does the future hold? So, if you look at short-term to longer term frameworks, the persistence in the climate system and everything that’s going on out there tells us that warming is highly likely,” Jones said.
With warming climate in mind, Jones says this may impact Oregon’s wine industry in terms of how growers manage their vines from pruning to training, or growers may consider growing different varieties to adapt to the warming climate.
“There’s lots of different aspects of what the future adaptation responses will do. But I think that the main thing is for this industry to really pay attention to, not only current conditions but what the future conditions are like so you can build resiliency in our operations and just be more adaptable to the future climate.”