PENN YAN, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� A decade ago, Scott Osborn would have eagerly told prospective vineyard owners looking to join the wine industry to 鈥渏ump into it.鈥�
Now, his message is different.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e crazy,鈥� said Osborn, who owns Fox Run Vineyards, a sprawling 50-acre (20-hectare) farm on Seneca Lake, the largest of New York鈥檚 Finger Lakes.
It鈥檚 becoming riskier to grow grapes in the . Harvests like Osborn鈥檚 are increasingly endangered by unpredictable weather from climate change. Attitudes on wine are shifting. Political tensions, such as amid and , are also looming problems.
Despite the challenges, however, many winegrowers are embracing sustainable practices, wanting to be part of the solution to global warming while hoping they can adapt to changing times.
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EDITOR鈥橲 NOTE: This story is a collaboration between Rochester Institute of Technology and The Associated Press.
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The Finger Lakes, which span a large area of western New York, have water that can sparkle and give off a sapphire hue on sunny days. More than 130 wineries dot the shorelines and offer some of America鈥檚 most famous white wines.
At Fox Run, visitors step inside to sip wines and bring a bottle 鈥� or two 鈥� home. Many are longtime customers, like Michele Magda and her husband, who have frequently made the trip from Pennsylvania.
鈥淭his is like a little escape, a little getaway,鈥� she said.
Traditionally, the plants鈥� buds break out in spring, emerging with colorful grapes that range from the cabernet franc鈥檚 deep blues to the soft greens of the region鈥檚 most popular grape, riesling. However, a warming world is making that happen earlier, adding to uncertainty and potential risks for farmers. If a frost comes after the buds have broken, growers can lose much of the harvest.
Year-round rain and warmer night temperatures differentiate the Finger Lakes from its West Coast competitors, said Paul Brock, a viticulture and wine technology professor at Finger Lakes Community College. Learning to adapt to those fluctuations has given local winemakers a competitive advantage, he said.
Globally, with the impacts of increasingly unpredictable weather. In France, have spelled trouble for winegrowers trying their best to adapt. Along the West Coast, destructive wildfires are
Winegrowers as part of the solution
Many winegrowers say they are working to make their operations more sustainable, wanting to help solve climate change caused by the burning of fuels like gasoline, coal and natural gas.
Farms can become certified under initiatives such as the New York Sustainable Winegrowing program. Fox Run and more than 50 others are certified, which requires that growers improve practices like bettering soil health and protecting water quality of nearby lakes.
Beyond the rustic metal gate featuring the titular foxes, some of Osborn鈥檚 sustainability initiatives come into view.
Hundreds of solar panels powering 90% of the farm鈥檚 electricity are the most obvious feature. Other initiatives are more subtle, like underground webs of fungi used to insulate crops from drought and disease.
鈥淲e all have to do something,鈥� Osborn said.
One winegrower's sustainability push 鈥� and struggle to stay in business
For Suzanne Hunt and her family鈥檚 7th-generation vineyard, doing something about climate change means devoting much of their efforts to sustainability.
Hunt Country Vineyards, along Keuka Lake, took on initiatives like using underground geothermal pipelines for heating and cooling, along with composting. Despite the forward-looking actions, climate change is one of the factors forcing the family to make tough decisions about their future.
Devastating frosts in recent years have caused 鈥渃atastrophic鈥� crop loss. They鈥檝e also had to reconcile with changing consumer attitudes, as over the past few years, according to wine industry advocacy group Wine Institute.
By this year鈥檚 end, the vineyard will stop producing wine and instead will hold community workshops and sell certain grape varieties.
鈥淭he farm and the vineyard, you know, it鈥檚 part of me,鈥� Hunt said. 鈥淚鈥檒l let the people whose dream and life is to make wine do that part, and I鈥檒l happily support them.鈥�
Tariffs and US policy changes loom
Vinny Aliperti, owner of Billsboro Winery along Seneca Lake, is working to improve the wine industry鈥檚 environmental footprint. In the past year, he鈥檚 helped establish communal wine bottle dumpsters that divert the glass from entering landfills and reuse it for construction materials.
But Aliperti said he鈥檇 like to see more nearby wineries and vineyards in sustainability efforts. The wine industry鈥檚 longevity depends on it, especially under a presidential administration that doesn鈥檛 seem to have sustainability at top of mind, he said.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e all a bit scared, frankly, a bit, I mean, depressed,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see very good things coming out of the next four years in terms of the environment.鈥�
Osborn is bracing for that previously made it easier to fund sustainability initiatives. Tax credits for Osborn鈥檚 solar panels made up about half of over $400,000 in upfront costs, in addition to some state and federal grants. Osborn wants to , but he said he won鈥檛 have enough money without those programs.
Fox Run could also lose thousands of dollars from retaliatory tariffs and boycotts of American wine from his Canadian customers. In March, Canada on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods 鈥� including wine.
Osborn fears he can鈥檛 compete with , which may flood the American market to make up for lost customers abroad. Smaller vineyards in the Finger Lakes might not survive these economic pressures, he said.
Back at Fox Run's barrel room, Aric Bryant, a decade-long patron, says all the challenges make him even more supportive of New York wines.
鈥淚 have this, like, fierce loyalty,鈥� he said. "I go to restaurants around here and if they don鈥檛 have Finger Lakes wines on their menu, I鈥檓 like, 鈥榃hat are you even doing serving wine?鈥欌��
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Natasha Kaiser Of Rochester Institute Of Technology And Makiya Seminera Of , The Associated Press
