| Australia's booming wine industry faces drastic changes due to global warming as rising temperatures spoil the taste of reputable labels and winegrowers search for cooler climates to plant new vines.
The sensitivity of wine grapes - differences of one or two degrees Celsius season-to-season can significantly change the taste and quality of a vintage - also makes the sector a potential harbinger for other crops in southern Australia .
"In relation to global warming, the wine industry is the canary in the coal mine because it's one of the most sensitive indicators of climate change," said Richard Smart, a respected viticulturist and author on wine grape growing.
The changes are not expected to threaten the export industry but producers must think ahead to adapt to climate change or face declining quality, experts said.
Third generation vigneron Brian McGuigan has no doubt global warming is already changing the character of wine flowing from the Hunter Valley, Australia's oldest vineyard district and one of the most prestigious regions..
"We're noticing that the seasons have moved forward and that is reflected by the time at which you pick the grapes and also the time that the buds burst on the vines and the way in which the fruit matures," said McGuigan, who began noticing the changes in the valley north of Sydney in the mid 1990s.
Rising temperatures make grapes ripen earlier, leading to declines in fruit flavours and changes in important characteristics such as acid content and colour.
The latest report by the influential International Panel on Climate Change said this week that Australia and neighbouring New Zealand can expect more severe droughts and increased flooding due to rising temperatures by 2030, along with more frequent heat waves and fewer frosts. The result will be a drop in agricultural production in southern and eastern Australia , as well as eastern New Zealand .
Malcolm Reeves, senior lecturer in wine science at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke's Bay , New Zealand commented that an increase in half a degree in temperature would not be a bad thing, but a one degree change would mean significant changes.
With warming in New Zealand , red wine production was increasingly likely to be practised in the south, with higher yields, the report said. Reeves said there were possible concerns for New Zealand pinot noirs.
"Having just just started to emerge on the world scene as a serious pinot noir producer we are currently, in effect, hanging our hat on Martinborough, Marlborough, parts of Canterbury and Central (Otago) as being our pinot areas, particularly Central and Martinborough."
"And if they do happen to get too much warmer they may just lose their edge for pinot," he said.
"But I think we've got a bit of latitude in this country with regard to pinot. . . I think we can still go that half degree warmer without negative effect on pinot, but if we get the one degree we're going to have to review a little bit where we're planting."
Mr Reeves said that there were parts of Central Otago where pinot noir was currently planted that were "maybe just a tad cold and a little bit of warmth won't hurt that".
"It (warming) is not going to be immediate, and I think in the shorter term, that is in the time it takes to get that half degree, it might be beneficial."
New Zealand 's other "big" wine was sauvignon blanc, and Mr Reeves felt New Zealand producers had a "little latitude" there in terms of warmth.
He said that 1998 was a pretty warm year and sauvignon blancs from Marlborough got caned a bit in the United Kingdom market because "they were just too hot. . . they had lost a lot of their zippy fresh tangy Marlborough character".
"But I would suggest that that year we were still learning with sauvignons in the warmth, and I think some of the grapes were left on (the vines) too long."
Mr Reeves said growers could compensate for some of that in part by changing crop levels, canopy and harvest dates .
Looking at syrahs, and cabernet sauvignons and francs and merlots, Mr Reeves said he thought half a degree would be beneficial.
"And one degree wouldn't be impossible, from the point of view that it's a battle that requires a lot of vineyard work to get those reds truly flavour ripe here in Hawke's Bay and in New Zealand , and that half degree would give us just give us more comfort margin.
"In the good years they are very, very good - and in the cooler years it's a real battle," he said.
"Half a degree improvement would take us more into some of the higher end cooler regions of Australia . I'm not talking Barossa, but I'm talking the Coonawarra going into McLaren Vale - they do some pretty good ones - and some of the better areas of Napa Valley (in California ). So a half a degree could be useful."
Mr Reeves said there was more than just rising temperatures to consider. "We would also have to look at what effect it (climate change) may or may not have on humidity because that's very important when it comes to grape growing, and extreme weather events.
Mr Reeves said while sauvignon blanc was New Zealand 's flagship wine now, who could say that would be the case in 25 years time.
There were other varieties out there waiting in the wings.
Climate change was something the industry had to monitor, it had to work to minimising the changes and the influence of it.
"I don't see it all being negative unless we don't change our ways to go with it," Mr Reeves said.
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