Water Management for Your Vineyard

Introduction

As we all know, weather can be fickle. Just look at the vast extremes in California wine country over the past three years: 2016 was a drought, 2017 had massive wildfires, and 2018 had great growing and harvest conditions. We never know what the next year will bring, so it is always a good idea to plan ahead and be prepared.

No matter where you live and nurture your vineyards, water will always remain a crucial part of the wine industry. Water management can be stressful for even the most seasoned growers, whether it is a shortage or a surplus.

Here are 3 tips to help with water management:

 Plan

It has been said one glass of wine can require as much as 28 gallons (106 liters) of water. That can amass a lot of water for your vineyard. Having a plan is the first step. Locate all available water sources, or potential water sources, around your vineyard so you have a plan in place if one source dries up or fills up. There are several water sources in a vineyard, including:

• Wells - groundwater is pumped for vineyard use
• Stock Ponds - “mini-reservoirs” used for water storage
• Storage Tanks - can hold thousands of gallons of potable water
• Wastewater Treatment Plants - to reuse water, many Northern CA wineries have implemented their own treatment plants

A typical grapevine needs 25-35 inches (63.5-88.9 cm) of water a year during the growing season's spring and summer months to avoid stress. [ISBN 0-7566-1324-8]

Monitor

You could use a high-tech tool like a pressure chamber or an infrared thermometer to take stock of your vines’ moisture or go low tech like Bryan Rahn, a Certified Professional Soil Scientist and vineyard consultant, suggests: “Even feeling the grape leaves with your hands is a great diagnostic tool. When leaves are actively transpiring, they are cool to the touch,” explains Rahn. “Leaves are like little swamp coolers – evaporation has a cooling effect.” Not only are the leaves cooler but so is the fruit. Cooler clusters yield superior fruit quality. [ISBN 0-7566-1324-8] This is an easy way to assess if your vines have the proper moisture.

 Irrigation

Audit where the water is going and have a conservation plan for all farm employees. Small shifts in how you do daily operations can make a big difference. When the well-known winery J. Lohr went through an expansion, they implemented a water conservation plan on their farm.

Shortage Suggestions

• Implement low flow nozzles on hoses
• Install timers on the water at the barrel washing station
• Stop the constant washing down of grape skins off the concrete

Surplus Suggestions

• Store moisture from rainfall in storage tanks to use at a later date [source]
• Implement a ground cover to absorb excess water and avoid erosion

Prepping your staff and farmstead for proper water management can help stop your profits from drying up.