With drought looming and a water-scarce future ahead, a few vineyards have held fast to or are even returning to an age-old practice that produces superior wine with far less water: dry-farming. In this video, we’ll explore dry-farming wine grapes, once the norm in California and still common practice throughout Europe. With 635,000 acres of wine grapes statewide, shifting even a fraction of this growing industry could save billions of gallons water. Come tour the fields at Frogs Leap Winery, a long-established dry-farmed vineyard, as we explore topics such as root stock selection, planting, the nuances of tillage, new technology, organic production, and the real-world constraints and potential of this water-smart practice.
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This video was produced by Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), edited by Anne Hammerksy, filmed by Evan Wiig and features Frank Leeds, and was part of the 2022 California Small Farm Conference.
Learn more at www.caff.org