High cost of water adds to pressure to sell, change grapes or even move
MELBOURNE – Australian grape growers reckon they are the canary in the coal mine of global warming, as a long drought forces winemakers to rethink the styles of wine they can produce and the regions they can grow in.
The three largest grape-growing regions in Australia, the driest inhabited continent on earth, all depend on irrigation to survive. The high cost of water has made life tough for growers.
Some say they probably won’t survive this year’s harvest, because of the cost of keeping vines alive. Water prices have more than tripled.