JES Speaker on Wine, Spirits and Climate Change - erienewsnow.com

JES Speaker on Wine, Spirits and Climate Change - Erie News Now | WICU and WSEE in Erie, PA

JES Speaker on Wine, Spirits and Climate Change

A crowd gathered to hear what Brian Freedman had to say about wine, spirits, and how the climate impacts these industries. He wrote a book about it called "Crushed: How A Changing Climate is Altering the Way We Drink".

“You know, the truth is the changing climate is having a dramatic impact beyond just the fires and the floods, and the more headline-grabbing events. There are really fascinating and often frightening systemic changes that are happening that are having a very real effect on these liquids that we all love so much,” Freedman said.

Freedman said as the climate changes, the beverage industry is affected in many ways. With Erie home to a wine, beer and spirits culture, those in the industry here have to pay attention.

“Erie is not immune from climate change like nowhere is. However, there are certain things that are potentially beneficial as well. It's not just a one sided story, right? The winemaker from Texas once said to me, ‘Brian, it's not about global warming. It's about global weirding,’” Freedman said.

When those in the audience walk away, Freedman hopes they take with them a better understanding of how the climate affects multiple parts of the industry.

“The world of wine and spirits and beer doesn't just deal with the people who are growing the raw products and crafting the liquids themselves. But we have glass manufacturers for bottles. We have printers for labels. Capsule manufacturers that cover the corks, which also have to be produced. We have trucking companies to get the liquids where they're going. We have shipping concerns to get them across the ocean. It has tentacles everywhere. So if climate change is affecting this world, that will have a massive effect worldwide,” Freedman said.