El Niño – Impacts for the wine industry webinar

El Niño is back in the headlines — but what does it mean for New Zealand winegrowers for this upcoming season?  

Join NZW and BRI for a webinar with Chief Scientist Chris Brandolino and Principal Scientist Andrew (Drew) Lorrey at Earth Sciences New Zealand, who will unpack the latest seasonal outlook and explain what it could mean for New Zealand’s wine regions.  

The session will help growers cut through the noise and consider the likely implications for vineyard planning, risk management and seasonal decision-making. With more than 50 years of combined forecasting and climate research experience, Chris and Drew will provide clear, regionally relevant insights. The webinar will end with a Q&A where Chris and Drew will answer questions from the audience.

This webinar will be recorded and made available to NZ Winegrower members.

Chris Brandolino

Chris Brandolino is a strategic science leader with 30 years of international experience across the public and private sectors. As Flagship Lead for Weather and Seasonal Forecasting at Earth Sciences New Zealand, formerly NIWA, he leads weather and seasonal forecasting operations and research, setting science direction, aligning programmes with national priorities, and supporting the development of innovative, impact-focused tools, products and services. Chris specialises in translating weather and seasonal forecasts into actionable information for stakeholders and decision-makers.

Drew Lorrey

Drew Lorrey is based at ESNZ Auckland (formerly NIWA) and has 25 years of research experience spanning the fields of palaeoclimate, modern climate processes, seasonal climate forecasting and climate change projections. He was the Programme Leader of the Southern Hemisphere Climates and Environments programme until 2025 and manages the Palaeoclimate Research Laboratory at ESNZ Auckland. As part of his job, Drew coordinates the Southern Alps End of Summer Snowline survey and is an active communicator about many aspects of climate science.