Turning the vineyards sideways: how winemakers weather the drought | HatAlexander
Three years ago, Orange viticulturist Justin Jarrett believed he had drought-proofed his vineyards. Every one of his new dams was full, and according to his irrigation strategy he thought they should never run dry again."For 20 years we've been trying to build resilience into the farms, but I must say that this drought is showing us we've still got to work harder. Now we're saying, let's take this drought as the new normal.
Mr Jarrett has stopped drawing from the dams during average years to save the water for times of drought, and did not irrigate from 2007 to 2019. He is also using drone technology to identify down to the individual vine where the soil has less vigour, so irrigation and mulch can be better targeted.
Viticulturists have countered sunburn with a grape sunscreen product that has been on the market for five years. Dr Davies said viticulturists in McLaren Vale were trialling misters to keep the temperature down in the vineyards on sudden hot days that occurred without the grapes having time to adjust.
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