Barker: Climate change doesn’t necessarily mean disaster for Idaho

Coco and Karl Umiker have been growing grapes in Idaho’s Clearwater Valley for 12 years, and last year their efforts paid off.

Wine Press Northwest gave its Double Platinum honor to Clearwater Canyon Cellars’ merlot, grown entirely in Idaho. Merlot grapes from north-central Idaho also won good reviews for Mike Pearson, his wife, Melissa Sanborn, and their Colter’s Creek Winery.

They hope their success helps get final approval for the pending Lewis-Clark Valley American Viticultural Area. If the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury approves, it would be the latest in the explosion of successful Pacific Northwest wine-growing areas to come on the scene — in part because of climate change. Full story . Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman

On a scale of 1-10, how worried are you about climate change?