I chose "carpe diem" ("seize the day") because it's one of my favorite sayings about how some people look at lemonsand think "how sour..." and other people say "Lemonade!"
That's how I look at the global climate change issue. I've jokingly told people I planted my vines in Missoula because I was "staying ahead of global warming!"
Check out this article in today's Wall Street Journal -- on the front page no less -- if the link at the end doesn't work, cut and paste into your browser --
Northern Vintage:<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
<?amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><st1ountry-region wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Canada</st1lace></st1ountry-region>'s Wines
Rise With Mercury
Growers Try Classy Grapes,
Shed Punch-Line Status;
Mr. Kennedy Sells His Cows
By DOUGLAS BELKIN
October 15, 2007; Page A1
TAPPEN, <st1:State wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">British Columbia</st1lace></st1:State> -- Two weeks ago, a brief storm left the mountains above Gary Kennedy's fields ominously capped in snow. His Pinot Noir grapes needed another week -- maybe two -- in the sun. The race was on: harvest versus first frost.
"We've literally bet the farm that this is going to work," said Mr. Kennedy, a slight, sinewy man of 65, who is trying to make a go of winemaking 1,100 miles north of <st1lace wt="on"><st1laceName wt="on">Napa</st1laceName> <st1lace wt="on">Valley</st1lace></st1lace>. "We're right on the edge." Such are the perils of winemaking Canadian style, as global warming encourages vintners to press ever-farther north. If all goes well for Mr. Kennedy, his four-year-old Granite Creek Estate Wines will hold onto its place as one of the most northerly winemakers in <st1lace wt="on">North America</st1lace> -- at least for a while.
The borders of the world's grape-growing regions are shifting away from the equator and toward the poles, redrawing the world wine map in the process. Traditional winemaking powerhouses such as <st1:City wt="on">Napa</st1:City> and parts of <st1ountry-region wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Australia</st1lace></st1ountry-region> are struggling with excessive heat. Formerly frosty climes like this verdant corner of <st1:State wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">British Columbia</st1lace></st1:State> are beginning to produce first-rate wines.
"There is concern in some areas, and there is opportunity in others," says Gregory V. Jones, a professor of climatology at Southern Oregon University, who is a leading researcher on the subject of viticulture and climate. "<st1ountry-region wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Canada</st1lace></st1ountry-region> will be one of the winners in the wine world."
Grape varieties traditionally harvested in <st1lace wt="on">Europe</st1lace>, such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, produce some of the world's best wine -- and the most expensive. But they are extremely sensitive to temperature. The thermal niche in which these types of grapes thrive is narrow, and the conditions required to produce a good vintage are narrower still.....
for more, see http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119241004704658805.html?mod=hps_us_inside_today
I noticed in posting this, at least for today, if you go to http://online.wsj.com/home/usthere is a really interesting video as well!
That's how I look at the global climate change issue. I've jokingly told people I planted my vines in Missoula because I was "staying ahead of global warming!"
Northern Vintage:<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
<?amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><st1ountry-region wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Canada</st1lace></st1ountry-region>'s Wines
Rise With Mercury
Growers Try Classy Grapes,
Shed Punch-Line Status;
Mr. Kennedy Sells His Cows
By DOUGLAS BELKIN
October 15, 2007; Page A1
TAPPEN, <st1:State wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">British Columbia</st1lace></st1:State> -- Two weeks ago, a brief storm left the mountains above Gary Kennedy's fields ominously capped in snow. His Pinot Noir grapes needed another week -- maybe two -- in the sun. The race was on: harvest versus first frost.
"We've literally bet the farm that this is going to work," said Mr. Kennedy, a slight, sinewy man of 65, who is trying to make a go of winemaking 1,100 miles north of <st1lace wt="on"><st1laceName wt="on">Napa</st1laceName> <st1lace wt="on">Valley</st1lace></st1lace>. "We're right on the edge." Such are the perils of winemaking Canadian style, as global warming encourages vintners to press ever-farther north. If all goes well for Mr. Kennedy, his four-year-old Granite Creek Estate Wines will hold onto its place as one of the most northerly winemakers in <st1lace wt="on">North America</st1lace> -- at least for a while.
The borders of the world's grape-growing regions are shifting away from the equator and toward the poles, redrawing the world wine map in the process. Traditional winemaking powerhouses such as <st1:City wt="on">Napa</st1:City> and parts of <st1ountry-region wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Australia</st1lace></st1ountry-region> are struggling with excessive heat. Formerly frosty climes like this verdant corner of <st1:State wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">British Columbia</st1lace></st1:State> are beginning to produce first-rate wines.
"There is concern in some areas, and there is opportunity in others," says Gregory V. Jones, a professor of climatology at Southern Oregon University, who is a leading researcher on the subject of viticulture and climate. "<st1ountry-region wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Canada</st1lace></st1ountry-region> will be one of the winners in the wine world."
Grape varieties traditionally harvested in <st1lace wt="on">Europe</st1lace>, such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, produce some of the world's best wine -- and the most expensive. But they are extremely sensitive to temperature. The thermal niche in which these types of grapes thrive is narrow, and the conditions required to produce a good vintage are narrower still.....
for more, see http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119241004704658805.html?mod=hps_us_inside_today
I noticed in posting this, at least for today, if you go to http://online.wsj.com/home/usthere is a really interesting video as well!