As climate change has become more destructive, and unpredictable weather more commonplace, the threat to vineyards has become unavoidable. But in the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon, a test case is unfolding that demonstrates that even in the face of sizable crop loss and broken contracts—and the resulting inability to re-sell a sensitive agricultural product before it rots—wine grapes can be rescued.
Read MoreEven by Napa Valley’s astronomical real estate standards, the sale of Heitz Wine Cellars for a reported $180 million raised eyebrows. It’s the new normal there, though: According to the Napa-based County Appraisals Inc., vineyard properties in the area now routinely go for $400,000 an acre.
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