We’re in the middle of the rainy season here in Carneros, and when one of the West Coast’s famous atmospheric rivers comes flooding down, it’s easy to forget how precious that rain is. But as farmers, thinking about how to make the most of every drop of water is never far from our minds. After all, less than 3% of the water on our home planet is fresh water, and it’s up to all of us to treat it with the respect it deserves.
Compared to most other produce, wine grapes aren’t the thirstiest plants. In fact, a little stress is good for the vines. It forces their roots to grow deep and strong, keeps the leaves in check so the grapes can ripen well in filtered sunlight, and, most importantly, less water means the vines grow smaller berries with intense flavors and aromas. But of course, during California’s dry, sunny summers, just like us, they need help staying properly hydrated. To do that, our vineyard teams use a combination of intuition and technology, including one piece of equipment called a “pressure chamber.”
Although it may sound like a torture device, it’s more like a grape concierge service. A pressure chamber is a mini-lab in a suitcase that helps us understand precisely how the vines are “feeling.” You just pluck a leaf off a vine, put it in the chamber, and it gets squeezed by pressurized air. Learning how much water the leaf gives off when squeezed tells us exactly how much moisture we need to give the vine. Testing vines in different areas across the vineyards lets us fine-tune the drip irrigation. And we do this over and over, along with soil moisture testing, throughout the growing season, to use as little water as possible, only when and where it’s needed.
This “think before you tap” mentality helps us conserve water not just in the vineyards but in the winery, tasting room, bottling facility, and everywhere else across our business.
We’re always exploring new ways to improve water efficiency. If you’ve visited us in the past, you’ll notice the difference in our landscaping today. We recently replaced all the grass and other non-native plants with local species that are beautiful and drought friendly. But conserving the water from the aquifer is just half the job. We’re also working to protect the water that goes back in.
Champlin Creek runs through our estate. For most of the year, it’s just a dry scrape in the earth surrounded by trees. But during the rains, it springs back to life. We have a lot of technologically advanced tricks up our sleeve, but sometimes low-tech is the key. To restore and protect the creek, we’ve collaborated with our neighbors to create “riparian setbacks.” By simply keeping our vineyard plantings, roads, and buildings well away from the creek, we can give it room to roam. The wetlands that grow naturally around the creek during the winter wet season help reduce erosion along the shoreline and provide a peaceful place for birds and other wildlife to coexist with our winery. It also captures more of that rain, channeling it to the larger river system and giving it time to sink into the ground, replenishing the soil and the aquifer.
These are just a few ways we protect this life-giving resource while doing the work we love. We know that not everyone can work with the City of Napa to use recycled water for irrigation, but it’s not just the big things that count. Next time you have a little tea left over in the pot, bring it outside for a plant. It’ll thank you for your kindness.
Cheers!