The wine industry has not been able to escape the economic downturn and has seen the move to less expensive wine as well as sales volume drop. But while that had been a growing concern for the entire industry over the past year, the northern California wine country is currently facing an even more immediate problem. Temperatures have been unseasonably high this winter – recently in the eighties in mid-January, and rain has been almost non-existent for many months, heightening fears of vineyard crop devastation.
Sonoma County and Napa County have both been experiencing a dearth of rain, with one local winery owner stating that he had not seen his reservoir this low in the three decades of his vineyard business. Usually by mid-January it is full and overflowing. Much of Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley vineyards utilize the hillsides for their crops and that means whatever rains they get will run off quickly so hillside vineyards rely on reservoir collection to then redistribute the available water. That available water is almost non-existent this winter having received only six inches during the season. Another reservoir owner sees his water supply at about 12% of what he would expect to have at this time of the year.
Beyond the obvious inability to irrigate the crops for their health and grape growth optimization, there is a less obvious concern. With the unusually dry conditions and the extended high temperatures, the crops might awaken from their winter slumber, believing that the spring has come. If it then turns cold again, the frost could damage the newly sensitive vines. One way of protecting against frost is to blanket the vines with water that will freeze and protect them, but limited water supplies hamper that option.
Many vineyard owners at the local wineries know that they might need to resort to tapping into the well water on their property. But even that is a limited resource of last resort because the aquifer has not been replenished underground anymore than it has above ground. That means they need rain and they need it soon. But, a university researcher studying the situation wasn’t offering much cause for optimism. In-fact, not only was he doubtful that Sonoma and Napa would soon find relief from the current dry conditions, but he was concerned that conditions could remain dry for most of this year and through the next for northern California wine country.
