Barcelona, Spain

I'm sitting in a large dining room in the Barbarellesque Hotel Hesperia, the site of the 2nd Climate Change and Wine Conference, hosted by the La Academia del Vino de Espana with extra money from big biz--such as Amorim, Contesllation, Banrock Station and the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) so you get the picture, yes this is about the effect of Global Warming on wine but also it is about big business running scared about losing their gamble with the wine industry. Global Warming not only means a warmer earth in parts but also wildly unpredictable climates, something business, as they don't have souls of farmers, can't deal with. FYI, while I like Ernie Loosen from the Mosel loads, he came the closest to a natural wine maker in the room and the panels.

This is the second day and up til, now, 10:00 on Saturday morning, it's been been fascinating.

Right now Greg Jones, a climatologist takes the podium after the way more contentious Hans Schultz from Germany at Geisenheim. Who said, "The EU doesn't allow for climate adjustment.' Meaning, reverse osmosis, irrigation and acidulation. He showed a bunch of pictures of shirveled, sunburnt grapes (non-irrigated) and irrigated-- nice plump ones, that help coax those "tropical" flavors.

Schultz as well as so many other of the scientists focused their mission on, "What the market wants' and that means shaping the wines with technology---or as he said, "climate adjustment," gotta love spin. So I addressed a very Alice -like question.

"Why is science focused on the markets desire for artificial flavors instead of working to produce the most natural wines possible?"

Instead of Hans, Dr. Greg Jones a climatologist from the University of Southern Oregon, answered. He resonated with the question, and mentioned the sad fact that economics (big business) was a part of the equation. This was the only mention of this fact over the two days.

After Jones got off the podium I had the chance to talk to him as well as Dr. Richard Smart, the famed Australian leader in canopy management and got these terrific quotes.

Jones: "What Michel Rolland said yesterday, that he has not seen climate change in the areas he works in is utter bullshit."

(Rolland is here, more on that later)

He went on to express outrage on the big disconnect and short-sidedness of people like Rolland. "He wasn't making wine 40 years ago, so he doesn't remember." But also obviously, he doesn't want to know.

After he walked on to get his coffee I got into it with Smart who had given a lively talk yesterday on the need to plant to the right soil (duh?), but also he believes in the essential role of irrigation. When I told him I wasn't a fan of watering as a paradigm he said, "If you can tell the difference between irrigated vines and non-irrigated vines that is, if you'll excuse me, uncategorical bullshit (the word, by the way, was the term of the morning). Having a conversation with you about irrigation is like having a conversation about Biodynamics, which I don't believe in."

With that he excused himself and went to get coffee.