FranceAgriMer, under the French Ministry of Agriculture, publishes interesting figures on agriculture, including viticulture in France. Sometimes, they also publish figures for wine countries outside of France, such as how much of some wine countries’ areas are irrigated.
Naturally, the New World countries lead the irrigation league.
Australia and Argentina have 100% irrigation for their vineyards.
New Zealand 95%, South Africa 87%, Chile 86%, and the United States 75%.
Brazil differs from the others as only 5% of its vineyards are irrigated. There is no lack of rain where its vineyards are situated, mainly in the southern part of the country, on the border with Uruguay.
Even in 100 % irrigated countries, there are pockets of growers who practice “dry farming”. So 100% does not mean “everything”.
The differences in Europe are significant.
Spain has 35% of its area irrigated, Italy 30%, and France and Portugal only 5% each.
In the arid parts of Spain, irrigation has meant slightly higher yields and thus improved incomes for the growers. In the south of France, artificial irrigation is believed to be needed more in the future.
All this is an illustration that “irrigation = simple wine” is a myth (just like “you don’t irrigate in Europe”). Irrigation can improve quality (and production) if used correctly. But access to water is an increasingly important concern.
Read more: franceagrimer (pdf)
