Wine, Wicked Problems, and Ways of Life: Untangling Cultural Discourses of Climate Adaptation in Andalucía, Spain

Abstract

The Spanish wine region of Andalucía is world renowned, with the region perhaps best known as the birthplace of the iconic Sherry wine. Unfortunately, global climatic changes have placed Andalusian winemaking in a perilous position, forcing members of this community to confront how, if at all, to adapt their cultural practices for a new climate reality. To understand the dynamics of this adaptation decision-making, I spent nearly three years learning from wine producers, wine regulators, tour guides, bartenders, professors, and countless others who each have a unique perspective on where the Andalusian climate is currently, where it’s headed, and what must be done if Andalusian wine is to survive. As part of this pursuit, I also toured wineries, strolled city streets, walked museum hallways, and hiked through grape fields to gain a deeper understanding of what makes the cultural practice of winemaking meaningful to this community. This dissertation interprets the many conversations, experiences, and types of knowledge I encountered during this research journey through five “radiants of cultural meaning”: Place, Practice, Feeling, Identity, and Relating. Although the final product represents only one version of one community's climate adaptation story, I hope that it will show how addressing climate change is about more than just identifying degree differences—it’s about adapting ways of life.