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A century of South Australian climate change

Foggy Hill vineyard, Fleurieu

Veteran of 52 vintages and the varying weather they have exhibited, Brian Croser, of Tapanappa in South Australia, wonders whether they're in for a cooler period.

For the avoidance of doubt and of a fusillade of online scorn and abuse, what I am about to describe is the beginning of a cool vintage against a backdrop of inexorably increasing temperatures.

The Australian wine community is very fortunate to have access to the day-by-day heat-accumulation data for the seven-month vine-growing season (October to April) for each vintage and region for the past 100 years. Our very effective national climate and scientific...