Page 26 - Grapevine July-August 2015

In The Winery
California Drought Update
By Stephanie Schettler-Cumming
T he California drought has had significant
news coverage over the past few years, to
the point where you’d almost have to be
living under a rock to have not heard of it by now.
Residents, farmers, and companies statewide have
all felt the blow of the water shortage. Some experts
believe this is the worst drought the area has seen in California wine regions,”Gladys Horiuchi with The
more than one thousand years. While different areas
of the state have dealt with the drought’s effects in
varying degrees, the drought has taken a toll on the
area as a whole.
The extent of the damage that the drought has
caused over the past few years is hard to put into
firm numbers, but the government projects that the
Page 24 The Grapevine • July - August 2015
drought will result in thousands of jobs lost and bil-
lions of dollars wasted in farm revenue. Consumers
will likely see a rise in wine prices due to the water
shortage, particularly the inexpensive varieties.
The state’s revenue from tourism is at serious risk
as well. “We estimate 21 million visits annually to
Wine Institute told The Grapevine Magazine. That
is a large number of people to potentially lose out
on their tourism business.
On the other hand, the drought isn’t all bad news
for winemakers.The silver lining to there being
less water available is that the grapevine produces
smaller, more flavorful grapes. The lack of water
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