How climate change is affecting the wine we drink

Higher temperatures mean higher alcohol content

Family-owned winemaker Brown Brothers has been growing grapes in Victoria since the 1880s.

The company was founded by John Francis Brown, but established its reputation and success under his son John Charles Brown.

When John returned to Milawa in regional Victoria after finishing boarding school in 1958, he harvested his first vintage of grapes in the early days of April.

Fifty years later, the grapes are off the vines by April, with picking often starting in February. Within a generation, the harvest start date has shifted along with the climate in the valley.

It’s a dramatic indication of how climate change is affecting the way we make wine in Australia.

Read The New Daily story - “How climate change is affecting the wine we drink.”