Wine-makers raise a glass to global warming

[LynneSin]

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/14065436....

Climate change may be making some wine tastier and more potent

By Brian RademaekersFor The Inquirer

Forget France.
In the future, wine buffs may be praising the merits of a fine Canadian pinot noir, the subtleties of English chardonnay, or even the complexity of a world-class Pennsylvania cabernet sauvignon.
The cause: climate change.

Some scientists believe that rising temperatures and longer growing seasons are already affecting wine, making vintages sweeter and stronger, and changing where grapes can be grown around the world.

Previously unheralded German wines have gotten surprisingly better in the last two decades. The alcohol in California wine has risen - which can be both a good and bad thing - along with the temperatures. There have even been instances where English bubbly has thumped its French counterparts in blind taste tests conducted by the magazine Which?, the English equivalent of Consumer Reports.

And with global temperatures projected to rise further, wine-growing regions in Pennsylvania may reap some benefits.

"We oftentimes toast to global warming," said Eric Miller, owner of Chaddsford Winery in Chester County. "The idea of milder winters and longer falls has a certain