Warming temperatures, vineyard water preservation

With the changing weather conditions due to global warming, we see that the seasons are changing and can be more erratic than before, it used to be weather had its own calendar known well and used by farmers worldwide, now however it is more different.

Our vines and trees all need water in the right quantity at the right time, and from the time of rain forward they need access to water stored in the ground, so how do we help them have the water that they need up until the summer months and maybe beyond?

Our Soil, storing water

Our soil drains well which the vines like, what is not good is that left on its own no water is held, to combat this we use several methods to increase the storage capacity and the quality of the soil;

• make sure the water can get down into the earth, not just run off the top. To do this we aerate the soil, creating grooves 60cm deep in the vineyard rows, this allows the water to penetrate deeper where it will not be so affected by evaporation.
• use of ground breaking plants, that use the hydraulic action of their roots to open up the soil further
• use of cover crops to do two things, stop soil erosion and also when cut, the roots give back nitrogen, an important component required by the vines for growth.
• mixing in cut up grasses and wood, to add to the soils ability to store water

Through these methods at Tenuta Le Mandorlaie we hope to increase the amount of water stored in the ground, for use by our plants well into the summer months. We are always looking at ways to ensure the vineyard has suitable water stored in the ground, and also add water storage channels allowing rainwater to be saved, thus allowing it to seep into the soil slowly.