Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/297564
W i n e s & V i n e s M AY 2 0 1 4 35 W I N E M A K I N G gation is necessary in some regions with high water restriction and climate evolution (higher evapotranspiration) and highly sen- sitive cultivars to drought. McGourty: Some dry-farmed vineyards pro- duce seriously crappy fruit because the vines are stressed and out of balance in terms of sugar and acids—their ripeness comes from dehydration. On the other hand, some vineyards are really well bal- anced and have a very favorable fruit/prun- ing ratio, even though they don't produce much fruit. There are many excellent wines produced from irrigated vineyards in Cali- fornia and Australia. Lakso: Since I agree with others that water relations is one key to terroir, then irriga- tion would change a natural terroir, though it might make it better if the natural condi- tions are too dry. Note that overirrigation guarantees bigger crops and less character, just like overfertilizing with nitrogen will give negative results. That does not mean that proper irrigation, often with controlled deficits, cannot produce very high-quality wines, as has been shown many times. Smart: Another old chestnut. All the vines in UK are dry farmed, and have lots of water available to them, and aren't very good. It doesn't matter where water comes from, it depends on how much there is and the evaporation rate. If dry farming infers less water, then I would concede that a modicum of water stress is an essential element for producing wine of quality. But irrigation does not guarantee too much water. Choné: Yes, some irrigated vines can pro- duce distinctive grapes and wines (and I am French...). As long as a vineyard is watered when the vines are under moderate water deficit (more or less developed, depending on the sites and the varietal), irrigation can be a benefit. In these conditions there is no real difference between an irrigation in Napa Valley and a "welcome rain" in Bor- deaux or Burgundy. Low yields? Low yields, even extremely low yields, are often cited as necessary for terroir expres- sion. The reasoning is presumably that big- ger crops dilute distinctive character, and low yields produce concentration. Is this right? Or does the proper crop load depend on factors like variety, climate, soil nutri- ents and so on? Lakso: This is a naïve concept about a very complex system. Yield is not really relevant; crop load (vine capacity in relation to the "It is naïve to think that the more the stress, the better the wine.... Good wine comes from vines that are working properly." —Richard Smart, vineyard consultant