Water Stress and Wine

In most circumstances some drought stress (also known as hydric stress) makes for big, concentrated red wines. This is what we are hoping for this year. But too much stress can be a problem. I’ve written often about the impact of soil and vine age on wine. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then there won’t be much to write about.

These seven-year old Cabernet Franc were planted on a shallow, rocky slope. The yellow leaves indicate way too much stress. We may choose not to harvest the clusters unless they are refreshed by some rain.

Less than 100 meters away is a block of very healthy and happy Cabernet Franc vines positioned to produce some truly great red wine. They are fifteen years old and on deeper, more water retentive soils. Fortunately most of our vineyards look like this.

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Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal/Field Notes: September 5, 2023