A quick Google search for "dry farming california drought" yields a bunch of articles from the last few years heralding the return of dry farming to California:
- From Slate: "Dry farming returns to drought-stricken California
- From CNN: "Dry farming flourishes in drought-stricken California"
- From The Guardian: "When in drought: the California farmers who don’t water their crops"
These articles, and particularly their headlines, would have you believe that dry farming is the answer to drought. However, further research shows that "[d]ry farming is more than just the absence of irrigation."[1] According to the California Ag Water Stewardship Initiative, dry farming requires the following: vines to be planted further apart, special rootstock that will grow deep into the earth, and ,as discussed by Ivo, the soil must be able to retain a sufficient amount of water (i.e., more clayey than sandy). So with these requirements, and the significant drop in yield that comes with dry farming, it seems obvious that upon the onset of a drought, a traditionally irrigated vineyard cannot just magically flip the switch to dry farming like some of the articles linked above would have you believe. Although at least one experienced Napa Valley dry farmer, Frank Leeds of Stagg's Leap, asserts that he's successfully converted a number of Napa vineyards to dry farming.
So at the end of the day, I'm left thinking that for many vineyards dry farming is likely the long-term, sustainable decision in an increasingly drought-stricken world; however, converting to dry farming from irrigation appears to come with a significant level of short term pain, which will prevent many from ever making the switch.
For discussion: I saw many assertions online that dry farmed grapes make better tasting wines. Do any of our wine experts here have an opinion one way or the other (or know of any studies like the organic/biodynamic ones we read today)? Small sample size alert: I thought the dry farmed Grgich Hills wines from today were excellent!
Sources:
[1] http://agwaterstewards.org/practices/dry_farming/
Grapes can develop better richness and complexity of flavor if they have to "struggle"- which is why (for example) fruit grown on very steep vineyards can produce amazing wine! Water deficit is another lever to pull here- which Thibault mentioned during class. So, in my opinion at least, there are some absolutely fabulous wines that come from dry-farmed vineyards. The winegrowing and winemaking from these dry-farmed vineyards, like Stagg's Leap, is an incredibly hands-on process, which also leads to improvements in quality. As we talked about in class- it is all about balance.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in reading more about the results of dry-farming as well! Will let you know if I find any great resources.
In answer to your question, part of why dry-farmed fruits tend to taste better is that flavor-creating plant compounds and sugars comprise a higher relative proportion of the fruit. In contrast, conventionally grown crops (which tend to be gratuitously watered) produce heavier, more watery fruit. They tend to not taste as delicious because the flavor compounds and sugars are diluted by a higher water content. They also tend to be heavier because of this. Since growers make more money by producing more weight, they are incentivized to use more water to increase fruit weight. It is thus not only capital-intensive to make the switch to dry-farmed, but it can also lead to lower yields.
ReplyDeleteIn light of the difficulty in making this management transition and its negative impact on yield (by weight), categorizing dry-farmed wine as higher value is the best way to encourage growers to adopt these practices. If dry-farmed wine is able to become a distinct, valued category, farmers are much more likely to adopt this practice. I have noticed other agricultural products, such as tomatoes, command a higher price through this category. I'm sure that concerns around the drought and water conservation could also help encourage more to transition to dry-farming. However, I think the category value will be the ultimate driver in adopting this change in management.
IMHO, it is exactly like organic and biodynamic wines - it reflects a certain philosophy which often leads to good wine, but is not an absolute predictor as one can still make bad wine even when dry farming :)
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