Comparative assessment of water footprint methodologies across global viticultural systems: towards standardization

Abstract

Context and objective: The increase in drought across most of the world’s current wine-growing regions due to climate change is raising the issue of sustainable water management. While the water footprint (WF) is an essential indicator for quantifying freshwater appropriation, its application in the wine sector is not currently the result of an international methodological consensus and lacks standardisation. This study aims to compare three main water footprint reference frameworks based on field data: the volumetric approach (WFN), the water balance approach (HB) and the LCA-Impact method (AWARE).

Methodology: The study uses a multi-year global dataset covering various soil and climate conditions, explicitly distinguishing between irrigated and non-irrigated systems. We calculated WF measures using site-specific data and global gridded datasets (AgERA5, HWSD). The assessment focuses on the grape production phase (not including winemaking), identified as the main contributor to the sector’s water footprint.

Expected results: Preliminary analyses suggest significant differences between methodologies. We expect the standard WFN approach to overestimate green WF in dry farming regions by not taking into account stomatal regulation in the event of water deficit. Conversely, the HB method should offer greater accuracy by modelling dynamic water storage in the soil. With regard to irrigated systems, the LCA approach demonstrates that “volume consumed” is not synonymous with “environmental impact”, which can significantly alter sustainability rankings depending on the scarcity of local watersheds.

Conclusion: This research argues that a robust international standard cannot rely solely on generic coefficients. It advocates a multi-level approach that integrates soil water dynamics and local scarcity contexts to ensure fair comparative assessment and guide adaptation strategies in a future where water will become increasingly scarce.

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