Wine country is feeling the effects of the drought prompting the industry to do some damage control, working to assess both short and long-term solutions.
On Tuesday field workers in Napa Valley brushed a protective coat on newly pruned vines to prevent fungus if and when the rain returns.The area is already suffering from a severe water deficit.
"2013 was the driest year on record. It was the driest winter on record," says Jen Putnam, Executive Director of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association.
For those vineyards that have underground aquifers to feed them, it will be a relatively normal season. But for those that depend on rainwater, the troubles are already starting to mount.
Hal Huffsmith of Trinchero Family Estates says he’s not so sure.
"The presence of ground water does not make up for the lack of rainfall," says Huffsmith.
Water shortages may force vineyards to irrigate their most valuable grape varieties and let others wither on the vine. Warm winter weather not only speeds water evaporation, it also confuses the vines. Bud shoots, which usually sprout at the end of February, have already begun in many locations subjecting the plants to potential freezing when cold weather returns. To save water, vines will be pruned to produce fewer grapes and their umbrellas, the leaves over them, will also be thinned.
"If we continue to see drought conditions in 2014, we will see a small crop," says Domenick Bianco, Renteria Vineyard Manager.
Pests are expected to be an even bigger problem. You'll see very few mustard fields or other so-called cover crops, used here to enrich the soils, nurture beneficial insects and prevent soil erosion. Such cover crops should already be three feet high but they are barely six inches with many patches reduced to bare earth.
Grape growers are working together to swap every water-conserving trick in the book.
"There's an exchange of information and technology in the vineyards is at a level that helps everyone," says Jen Putnam of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association.
Growers say their biggest worry now is the possibility of another drought next year, when fewer options will be available.
Source - http://www.ktvu.com/
USA - Wine growers enact damage-control amidst droughtWine country is feeling the effects of the drought prompting the industry to do some damage control, working to assess both short and long-term solutions. On Tuesday field workers in Napa Valley brushed a protective coat on newly pruned vines to prevent fungus if and when the rain returns. The area is already suffering from a severe water deficit. 2013 was the driest year on record. For those vineyards that have underground aquifers to feed them, it will be a relatively normal season. But for those that depend on rainwater, the troubles are already starting to mount.
