Case Studies
Taking a Proactive Approach to Climate Change to Preserve Seven Generations of Grape Growing and Wine Making in the Finger Lakes
Adapting to climate change is crucial for grape producers. As Hunt Country Vineyards shows, adaptation can also provide opportunities to spark conversations on climate change and gain recognition for sustainable business practices.
New York State is the third-largest wine producing state in the nation, with four major grape growing regions: the Finger Lakes, Lake Erie, Long Island, and the Hudson River. Fine wine grapes are especially sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation, since these factors influence taste and quality. With almost 500 wineries, 35,000 vineyard acres, and $6.65 billion in direct economic benefits, the state’s grape industry is profoundly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.1
The Finger Lakes region has been at the center of wine production since the 1860s and is currently home to about 11,000 acres of vineyards.2 Hunt Country Vineyards is located on a seventh-generation family farm on the west side of Keuka Lake in Branchport, New York. The Hunt family has been growing grapes since 1902 and making wine since 1981. They have overcome many hurdles, including prohibition, domestic and world wars, and crashing markets, that have required innovation. Now, in the face of climate change, the Hunt family is increasing the resilience of their entire farming operation to adapt.
Highlights
- New York State is a major producer of wine grapes, but the wine industry is at risk from climate change. Fine wine grapes are highly sensitive to temperature and precipitation changes.
- Soil health is crucial to a farm’s resilience, and improved soil health management is one key adaptation strategy.
- Increasing resilience can also provide opportunities to spark conversation and gain recognition for sustainable practices.
Hunt Country Vineyards has experienced one or more severe weather events every year for the past decade, including flash flooding, severe drought, extreme winds, extreme temperature fluctuations, polar vortex, and unusually high humidity. In 2014 and 2015, they experienced polar vortices that damaged some of their high-value vinifera grapes, leading to small crops for two years. The farm has also dealt with increased freeze risk, which is a concern across the grape industry. On average, warmer winters can lead to earlier budbreak, which makes the delicate buds vulnerable to fatal damage from freezing temperatures in late spring. Severe drought in 2016 reduced crop size, increased the mortality of young vines, and led to higher labor costs due to the need to manually water over 1000 young replacement vines throughout the vineyards.
The Hunt family has worked to increase their farm’s resilience through several strategies, including improved soil health management. Higher levels of organic matter help soil retain moisture in times of drought and improve infiltration and water retention during heavy rainfall events. This reduces erosion and runoff from the farm and reduces runoff’s potential negative effects on the surrounding environment and infrastructure. “Soil health is everything when it comes to farming, which is why we care for it so very much,” said Suzanne Hunt, co-owner and director of sustainability at the farm. Some of the vineyards and fields are certified organic, but the farm does not rely on any synthetic fertilizers—instead, the soil is amended with compost and poultry manure. The compost comes from an on-farm composting operation that uses grape pomace, leaves, yard waste, vegetable scraps, and livestock manures. The farmers also roll out hay between rows of vines as mulch to suppress weeds, hold moisture in the soil, reduce erosion, and create a favorable habitat for soil microbes. They experiment with lesser-known soil amendments such as biochar, which provides both carbon sequestration and soil health benefits.
The Hunts advocate for enhanced resilience in farming and food systems through increased crop diversity. They grow 13 varieties of grapes, including 6 rugged hybrid varieties, 3 of which were developed by the Cornell breeding program (Cayuga, Valvin Muscat, and Corot Noir). Art Hunt has served on the Cornell AgriTech community advisory board, and Suzanne Hunt currently serves on the board as of this writing.
The accelerating effects of climate change are forcing those in the wine industry to take decisive steps to adapt. Proactive producers, like the Hunts, have been investing in climate solutions for many years and experimenting with strategies to lessen the impacts of extreme and unpredictable weather on the farm’s infrastructure and land. “Farming has always been hard, but climate change is making it even harder these days. We depend on clean air and water, healthy soil, and a stable climate to make great wines. And that’s why we’re doing everything we can,” said Suzanne Hunt.
In addition to adapting to the changing climate, the Hunts are decreasing their reliance on fossil fuels and using renewable energy. They installed a closed loop geothermal heating and cooling system in 2012, and a 348-panel solar system in 2015 to provide electricity for the farm. This technology has generated cost savings and eliminated the need to purchase oil and propane to heat buildings. The Hunt family continues to find ways to conserve energy and increase sustainability. They have installed LED lighting in all their buildings, and in 2018 they installed five electric vehicle charging stations for customers. When the tasting room was shut down for three months at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, they took the opportunity to install new flooring made by the Interface company, which has pioneered circular economy solutions. The tiles are made from 100% recycled materials and can be recycled at end-of-life.
In recognition of their proactive approach to sustainability, Hunt County Vineyards received the New York Wine & Grape Foundation’s Sustainability Award in 2020. This award recognizes “an organization or business that has demonstrated noteworthy sustainable practices and a commitment to conserving natural resources, protecting our environment, and contributing to the overall success of the New York State economy.” In the same year, the Hunts launched a line of Uncharted Terroir wines that feature climate-resilient regional grape varieties to encourage conversation about how climate change is affecting the terroirs in wines of the world. In 2021, the Hunts joined the new International Wineries for Climate Action group, which requires that its member wineries track, audit, and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
The Hunts advocate for clean energy and climate policy in New York State. Recently, Suzanne Hunt was appointed to the Agriculture and Forestry Advisory Panel of the New York Climate Action Council, which is developing the detailed plan for New York State to achieve the requirements of the New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. As volunteer first responders, Art Hunt, Jon Hunt, and Matt Kelly (co-owner and Suzanne Hunt’s husband) respond to increasingly frequent and extreme weather-related emergencies. Art Hunt has been a volunteer first responder for nearly 50 years. He stated, “We are seeing how climate change is impacting the community already, and we need to move faster to implement the solutions.”
References
1. New York Wine & Grape Foundation. (n.d.). New York wines. Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://newyorkwines.org/
2. Wine-Searcher editorial. (2022). Finger Lakes wine. Wine-Searcher. https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-finger+lakes