Water resource management at high spatial resolution for sustainable adaptation to climate change in wine-growing terroirs

Abstract

In the context of climate change, water availability, together with rising temperatures, is one of the main factors driving the relocation of viticulture to new regions. However, research on the impacts of climate change on viticulture and the implementation of adaptations is mainly based on bioclimatic and ecoclimatic indices that capture the link between temperature and grapevine development. Although applying these indices at local scales highlights the spatial variability of temperature’s influence on vine phenology and grape ripening, spatial variability of water availability is less frequently considered. However, water resources in the vineyard have a major impact on both the quality and quantity of grapes produced in a given area. Like temperature, the high spatial variability of water availability must be taken into account when adapting viticulture to climate change, while respecting terroir expression. When considering adaptations, the move from dry-farming to irrigation should be avoided where possible, because fresh water resources will become increasingly scarce. Integrating both water supply and temperature into the development of bioclimatic indices at the local scale would improve local vineyard management in the context of climate change. The DRYWINE project aims to define climate change adaptation strategies based on the spatial variability of climate at the vineyard scale, focusing on water resource management and preservation. This project follows an approach based on in-situ experimentation and modelling (e.g., water balance, simulation of viticultural potential for non-irrigated viticulture as adaptation strategies at the vineyard scale, etc.) applied to different pilot sites selected using a “geo-climatic analogue” approach. The main objective is to maintain the identity of terroir wines: (1) preserve the wine typicity in relation to origin; (2) adapt to climate change while avoiding irrigation as much as possible; (3) preserve iconic grape varieties.