It’s the year of the… RAISIN?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
2024 has been the hottest year ever recorded. And that affects crop yields and prices. Wine too!
How can we keep our grapes hydrated, without wasting water and money?
Nazareth Torres from UC Davis and team investigated. During a dry season in California, they gave grapevines extra water. Either twenty, fifty or one hundred percent of what they lost to evaporation.
Then they measured the grape juice’s solids – where wine gets color and taste – and compared it to the normal profile of cabernet sauvignon.
And? A FIFTY percent water replacement is enough to still make tasty wine. This’ll keep our water flowin’ and the party goin’!
If anyone asks… you heard it through the grapevine!
Reference: Torres, N., Yu, R., Martínez-Lüscher, J., Kostaki, E., & Kurtural, S. (2021). Effects of Irrigation at Different Fractions of Crop Evapotranspiration on Water Productivity and Flavonoid Composition of Cabernet Sauvignon Grapevine. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.712622