Wine is critical to British Columbia’s (BC) agricultural economy, generating over $3.75 billion in economic activity and supporting 14,272 jobs. However, climate change is challenging BC wine producers. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall and frost patterns, smoke from wildfires, and more extreme weather events are making it hard for grape growers to build and maintain success. 

Recent heat waves, along with severe cold spells in December 2022 and January 2024, have caused significant damage to grape and wine production. For example, in 2021, record high temperatures were recorded in the Pacific Northwest, including BC’s major wine region, the Okanagan Valley. This past summer (2024) also saw many days with temperatures over 38°C in the same region; such high temperatures are harmful to grapevines. 

Heat stress from these high temperatures can damage grapevines by affecting their ability to perform essential functions like photosynthesis and limiting the quality of grapes. Understanding how these events impact grapevine productivity and wine quality is a top priority for the BC wine industry. This study will investigate the effects of heat stress and develop strategies to help grapevines cope with this threat. 

Using genomic technologies, researchers at UBC, in collaboration with the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network (CGCN) and local wine producer Andrew Peller Ltd., aim to understand how grapevines respond at the genomic level to heat stress – particularly when in combination with water shortages (another frequent climatic challenge in the Okanagan Valley). The team is also testing how biostimulants could mitigate the impact of heat stress on vines. Biostimulants are substances or microorganisms applied to plants or soil that have the potential to enhance growth by improving natural processes. They work differently from fertilizers in that they do not provide extra nutrients but can act on plant physiology to improve nutrient uptake and stress tolerance through the production of plant regulatory hormones.  

This knowledge will help develop effective strategies to protect grapevines and improve grape quality. The goal is to help BC grape and wine producers adapt to climate change and continue producing high-quality wine.