00:00It hit 102 degrees in the Southern California vineyard before winter was even over. And that
00:05heat is changing how wine is grown in Temecula Valley. On January 1st, Temecula was the hottest
00:11city in the nation. We had 89 degrees on the 1st of January. Two days before the end of winter,
00:18we had 102 degrees in the vineyard. We've never seen anything like that. Vineyard manager Greg
00:24Pennyroyal says the unusual warmth pushed the grape harvest nearly three weeks ahead of schedule.
00:29And now crews at Wilson Creek Winery are trying new ways to protect the vines.
00:33The first is you'll notice it looks like some vandals came through and spray painted the vineyard.
00:37That was actually the vineyard crew. Think of it as sunscreen for the vines,
00:41protective coating designed to help shield them from intense heat.
00:44Crews are also using cover crops to keep the ground cooler.
00:47If this was exposed, this would be over 120 degrees. I'm guessing it's probably about 85
00:53and the ambient air temperature now is about 95. Pennyroyal, who also teaches viticulture at
00:58nearby Mount San Jacinto College. This is basically just Pinot Grigio juice.
01:02You can say it's actually started to ferment a little bit.
01:05Says the changing conditions are forcing growers to rethink how they farm.
01:09From when grapes are harvested. In about nine months, this will be ready to bottle.
01:13To how vines are protected. Warmer weather is reshaping the process behind every bottle.
01:18So this is the magic of wine. You can turn really great grape juice
01:22into unbelievable wine. This is alchemy at its best. Cheers.
01:28I'm Kai Beach with AccuWeather.
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