Grape Growers In Sonoma Prepare For Water Cuts
KGO-TV San Francisco By Heather Ishimaru
Mandatory water cuts will be imposed throughout the Russian River watershed in Sonoma County to the north, and that includes a number of large vineyards and wineries. But the wine industry plans to cut back.
Many Sonoma county grape growers rely on the Russian River to irrigate their vines. But the state has ordered 15-percent reduction in water diverted from the river between during the next four months.
Nick Frey, Sonoma County Wine Grape Commission: “You only need to irrigate the individual vine.”
Nick Frey is president of the Sonoma County Wine Grape Commission — he says virtually all grape growers are already using water very efficiently.
Nick Frey: “Ok, but now we don’t have any choice but to figure out where we could get some more. It’s probably two or three things we can do.”
Some vineyards are still thriving from the winter rainfall alone and can put off irrigation, and Frey says those that need it now can probably get by with less. There might even be a benefit to wine drinkers.
Nick Frey: “I think this will not have an impact on the consumer, if anything it might be better for the consumer because like I said the grapes that are produced with a little less water, have a little more stress, tend to have better quality, particularly in red varieties.”
In today’s high-tech world of farming science, vines are grown under the watchful eye of vineyard managers like Mark Houser. He oversees 300 acres known as the Hoot-Owl Vineyard, for Alexander Valley Vineyards.
Mark Houser, Alexander Valley Vineyards: “We monitor either by neutron probes which they measure water content in the soil or by leaf balm and that is when you take leaves and you measure the amount of water in that leaf.”
He says growers will be affected differently depending on how they’ve planned, and how they use water already.
Mark Houser: “Did they use a drought-resistant root-stock; you know plan for the worst.”
Almost all growers are bound to produce less fruit than a normal year.