Drip, dry AS THE PLANET GETS HOT TER, S O D O E S T H E S U B J E C T O F I R R I G AT I O N
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Rhys Pender, MW
Overhead irrigation systems like this one in the Okanagan Valley are gradually being replaced by less wasteful drip irrigation. Getty Images photo
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rrigation may not be the sexiest topic, but it is an important one. The climate is changing around the world, plants need water, and water is becoming scarce. Grape growers must start thinking seriously about their water use and ways to use less of the precious resource. Irrigation has always been an interesting topic in wine—and a controversial one, too, even here in British Columbia. In many parts of Europe, it is illegal to irrigate grape vines and the practice is viewed as a distortion of terroir. It’s seen as artificially manipulating the natural process of ripening grapes. In most of the New World, though, the need to irrigate has traditionally been seen as an advantage. Planting grapes where rainfall is low has allowed for more
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consistent wine from vintage to vintage, with sunny skies making for fruity wines appreciated by consumers around the world. But that only works so long as there is a water source to irrigate from. Having a hand on the faucet of nature has allowed grape growers to either open the tap and push yields to higher levels and extract more wine per acre, or, with close monitoring of drip irrigation, to allow just enough water for a vine to produce its most intense expression of fruit. The vines can get exactly what they need at the exact right time. Meanwhile, in parts of the Old World where irrigation isn’t allowed, farmers are relying on the whims of Mother Nature, and with climate change she is getting a little extreme.
ISSUE 09
