Ask any sommelier about the complexities of wine, and they’ll speak of a tapestry of flavors and aromas, each varietal bearing its unique signature. From the earthy undertones of a robust Cabernet Sauvignon to the delicate floral notes of a crisp Riesling, they unravel the intricate dance of soil, climate and craftsmanship that culminates in each glass.
But among these elements, one factor plays a pivotal, often understated role: water.
“Based on the need, we can smooth out the natural cycles that otherwise would occur if we’re only dependent on rainfall, which varies a tremendous amount,” says Mark Battany, University of California Cooperative Extension water management and biometeorology advisor, San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara Counties. “The irrigation tool allows us to gain better uniformity in production from one year to the next.”
Tracing back to traditional methods, Battany illustrates the shift to modern irrigation techniques, marking a significant transition in viticulture. Key to this transition has been the development of technologies that enhance irrigation efficiency and precision.
“One of the big advancements that occurred a while back was the pressure compensating emitters,” he says. “That really helped step up the precision in our application.” Other technology that represented a huge step forward included subsurface drip irrigation to try to prevent evaporation loss of water from the surface.
Precision irrigation systems are also revolutionizing vineyards, says Battany. Advances in drip and microirrigation, augmented by the Internet of Things and automation, optimize water usage. Sensor-based technology, alongside remote sensing and drone technologies, can also be deployed to manage large-scale vineyard irrigation and maximize returns.
“Especially in our coastal areas … we never really did [use surface irrigation] because we don’t have surface water here. We use drip irrigation today in our vineyards and it’s a relatively inexpensive and easy way to apply water in a very precise manner,” says Battany.
If those systems are well-maintained, Battany is able to get very high distribution uniformity in the application of water throughout the field. It also provides an opportunity to apply nutrients directly to the plants through irrigation.
In the pursuit of sustainability within viticulture, Battany emphasizes that the industry is decidedly proactive, with growers diligently seeking to enhance their methods and tools. Their goal is clear: to optimize yield and quality while reducing the resources consumed. However, achieving this balance requires robust, data-driven benchmarks.
To this end, Battany’s study, titled “Paso Robles vineyard irrigation study provides benchmark data to assist future area groundwater management,” underscores the critical role of precise data in guiding irrigation practices, ultimately aiding groundwater sustainability efforts. Employing low-cost monitoring techniques, the research analyzed irrigation across 84 vineyard sites for four years, mapping irrigation volumes against seasonal rainfall and evapotranspiration patterns. The results revealed a tangible inverse relationship between winter rainfall and annual irrigation, offering a data-centric strategy for managing vineyard water use.
Further advancing sustainable practices, the “Energy Efficiency and Water Savings in Agriculture by Innovative Plant-Aware Irrigation” study, conducted by the California Energy Commission, outlines the practice of “plant-aware irrigation.” Tested in California’s vineyards, the method — which utilizes sap flow sensors to tailor irrigation precisely to the plants’ needs — yielded up to 61% savings in water and energy but has also led to improvements in grape quality, according to the study.
Tom Darling, the winemaker behind Darling Wines, Sonoma, California, affirms that sustainable approaches aren’t exclusively for those with access to the latest technology. He and his contemporaries are marrying time-honored techniques, such as maintaining ground cover and practicing limited tillage, with modern irrigation methods. “On the vineyard side, there’s a lot of movements going on right now around sustainability, particularly regenerative farming,” says Darling. “Leaving a ground cover in the middle of the vineyard allows for a better soil structure, more water retention and then also it allows for more life in the soil in the center. Tilling directly under the vine is especially important if you’re doing a lot of irrigation because you are going to have more green growth and more competition. So, finding that balance on the tillage side has been a really great conversation in recent years, and it’s definitely pushing sustainability further.”
As vineyards navigate these challenges, the drive for innovative solutions becomes increasingly crucial.
Experts like Battany and Darling predict future trends in vineyard irrigation technology, emphasizing the need for continued innovation to ensure the sustainability and success of the wine industry, but also point out that adopting new technologies can pose challenges. Battany discusses the barriers of cost, training and scalability, while Darling emphasizes the balance between technological advances and environmental concerns.
Alongside these environmental considerations, Battany highlights operational challenges vineyards face, particularly in data management.
“If you’re farming a large acreage, just keeping track of the data associated with your irrigation management, that’s a huge task for people,” says Battany. “One of the really challenging things for a lot of these vineyard companies is just the constant turnover of people that happens in many industries, right? So it’s difficult to have systems if you’re relying on people keeping data in their memory to then transfer use in future years, especially if that person moves on to another company.”
Battany adds that innovations are great, but just because they exist doesn’t necessarily mean they will be adopted immediately.
“A lot of these farming operations, especially of perennial crops, once you get a system established, you are not able to make 180-degree turns and totally change the system,” says Battany. “There’s no way that the industry can change overnight. Even if somebody comes up with some fantastic new product implementation, it is still going to take some time. There’s going to be an inertia that’s just unavoidable with a permanent crop.”
Despite this, Darling illustrates this balance through innovative practices being adopted by forward-thinking growers.
“We’re seeing a lot more growers who are open to thinking in this more progressive mindset, which is instead of using artificial fertilizers, renting a flock or a herd of sheep and getting them into the vineyard to take care of some of the weeds and also put manure back into the soil, which increases the nitrogen, helping the soil along with the vine health,” says Darling. “And ultimately, it’ll help the yields down the road as well. It’s just that how can we work more naturally and more in partnership with the ecosystem and try and nourish the ecosystem versus using more of the synthetic products that may neutralize or hurt the natural ecosystem?”
Innovations in irrigation technology are poised to influence the future of viticulture, with the potential for a meaningful industry impact. Insights from Battany and Darling underscore the importance of continued innovation for the sustainability and success of the wine industry.
Battany highlights the proactive nature of the industry, noting, “The global wine grape industry is probably one of the most progressive sectors of agriculture where they really do look for and try to be early adopters of any tool or method that they think can help them do better. Especially if it’s a crop product which is driven by quality. The margins can be very slim, just like in many crops. So, everybody is really looking for ways to do things better.”
This forward-thinking approach is essential in an industry where quality is paramount and the margins are often slim. Finding that balance is crucial, says Darling.
“I think that the more deeper that I get into it, I feel like balance is always the answer,” he says. “Seeking balance in your vineyard will ultimately help your balance in your wines, and irrigation, depending on the vineyard, plays an important role in that. So, I think it’s an important conversation, and I appreciate being a part of it.”
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