The wine industry has been described as being a bit like the canary in the proverbial coalmine; when it comes to climate change, it could be one of the industries most affected.

That was just one of the analogies used at a climate change wine conference held in Adelaide.

Wineries are being challenged by having earlier, and more compressed vintages, brought on by warmer conditions.

It means some years the white grapes are ripening at the same time as red grapes and they all need to be harvested at the same time.

Listen to the South Australian Country Hour podcast, where we broadcast from a climate change conference to hear from a range of scientists, wineries and market analysts.