The Impact of droughts on Viticulture in the Marlborough Region

The Marlborough region is home to the largest number of vineyards throughout New
Zealand. Roughly 70% of grapes grown in New Zealand are sourced from Marlborough
vineyards (1). It’s long-lasting sunshine and stable climate, make it ideal for growing grapes
in this region. Though, its most important feature, when it comes to viticulture is its rich soil,
stemming from glacial origins, its free draining nature creates an environment where grape
vines can thrive. Viticulture, the cultivation and harvesting of grapes, in the Marlborough area
is at risk, with an increasing number of droughts happening in the area. Droughts prevent
grapes from receiving a sufficient amount of water as well as leaving the soil prone to wind
erosion which creates a challenged environment for them to grow in. The Marlborough
district council can mitigate the impacts of droughts on viticulture by recognizing the human
and environmental factors that contribute to them and eliminating those factors.

The increasing number of droughts happening around the globe is a product of earth’s
increasing climate. Droughts are a natural hazard that occurs when a certain region or area of
land receives below-normal amounts of precipitation in the atmosphere, a temporary lack of
water, or lowered availability of water, all caused by an unorthodox climate (2). Over recent
years, droughts have become a more common occurrence due to record air temperatures, and
a new normal dryness level, ultimately caused by the climate crisis (3). More recently we
have seen droughts plague the Maghreb region in North Africa, countries such as Morocco
have suffered reduced yields in crops, as much as -24% compared to the average of the past
five years (4). Droughts are notorious for causing severe damage to eco-systems and
horticulture through various natural process, though most notably evapotranspiration deficit.
Evapotranspiration is the process where moisture held within the soil is gradually released
into the atmosphere by either direct transpiration through the plants themselves or direct
atmospheric evaporation. Growing grapes, or viticulture, requires constant moisture to be
held within the soil, especially during warmer periods of the year. As the climate increases
around the globe, droughts are become more likely, and we typically see the amount of
evapotranspiration exceed the amount of rainfall. This results with a higher level of soil
moisture deficit, which in turn creates difficulty for pasture production as they are impaired
by the current moisture constraints and the ability to meet atmospheric demands becomes
somewhat impossible (5). Ultimately, droughts are causing moisture held in soil to evaporate,
prohibiting grape vines from receiving sufficient nutrients and are therefore impairing the
processes within viticulture.

As society grows and the human population develops, various natural hazards have grown in
magnitude by our activities and choices. Though it’s hard to blame naturally occurring
hazards on human interactions, there are various examples of human activity which have
accelerated the process of droughts. Industrialization is the leading human source that cause
droughts, as the global population rises, and society develops water usage and demand has
increased in which placing pressure on natural water management (6). Across various regions
in the world the amount of demand and consumption of water has exceed its naturally
regenerating properties. Growth in industrial industries and agricultural industries has led to
an increase in the rate of consumption of water as it is required for irrigation as well as
construction and development. Not only that but anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions
have been shown to manipulate precipitation patterns in the atmosphere over time therefore
impairing projected rainfall expectations in various areas (7). Said greenhouse gas emissions
get trapped in earth’s atmosphere preventing heat, produced from the sun, from getting out
into space. The trapped heat then causes global temperatures to rise, leading to increased
moisture evaporation and droughts. Greenhouse gases are the product of various human led
activities such as driving one’s car, the retrieval of various natural elements, and
developmental construction of infrastructure.

Viticulturist through the Marlborough region have had the fear of droughts looming over their
shoulders for many years. The Marlborough District Council (MDC) have identified droughts
to be the most prevalent and reoccurring natural hazard to affect the region. The areas dry
climate and northwesterly winds are the main factor in why this natural hazard impacts them
so harshly and makes them so much more vulnerable to the effects of droughts (8). Compared
to other regions known for wine growing we can see that they suffer the same issues to
Marlborough. One example of this is the Western Cape area of South Africa, who in the 2018
harvesting season were facing challenges from droughts which resulted in an exacerbated
variation in yielded grapes and declined size in harvested grapes leading to a lessened volume
of juice (9). Being the home of viticulture in New Zealand it is so important for the
Marlborough District Council to address and combat the issue of droughts. Wither Hills is
one of the largest manufacturers and producers of wine in New Zealand, spanning over 1100
hectares of land (10). Based in Blenheim, the center of Marlborough, they have fallen victim
to the impending hazard of droughts in various occasions. Though most notably in the year
2000 when a fire ravished through the area on boxing day. Leading up to the disaster,
Marlborough had recorded the highest ever national fire index level, a scale detailing and
measuring the fire risk in an area. This was a product of the extreme drought conditions that
the area was subject to at this time, with dry shrubbery and warm wind assisting the fire to
spread and burn over 600 hectares of land (11). At the time, the Wither Hills fire was the
largest grasslands fire recorded in New Zealand and highlighted the importance of drought
mitigation and management.

Though there is no direct solution that can confidently prevent droughts there are various
policies and processes that can be integrated in order to minimize the impact of droughts on
viticulture.

New Zealand Wine is an organisation that is primarily focused on voicing the opinions and
desires of viticulturist throughout New Zealand. Over recent year they have scoped in their
focus on climate change and mitigating the effects of it on vineyards around country. Their
goals span across a range of topics such as waste management and reaching a carbon neutral
status, though more directly on soil health enhancement and protection and water usage
management.

Natural processes are the sole source of droughts within the Marlborough region, though
there are various human interactions that impact the frequency, magnitude, and severity of
droughts. Should nothing be done, Marlborough and viticulturists through the area will suffer
the consequences, and viticulture itself would be forced to draw to a halt. Without action,
evapotranspiration will continue to accelerate and water shortages will become a more
frequent occurrence. Therefore, the need for the Marlborough District Council to implement
policies such as…. is a must in order to combat the challenges viticulturist face from
droughts. Once these are implemented, the Marlborough region can expect to see the
vineyard and grape growing industries thrive and promote increased production of wine for
the country.
https://www.tupu.nz/en/fact-sheets/wine-grapes#:~:text=Nearly%2070%25%20of%20NZ's
%20wine,grown%20from%20Auckland%20to%20Otago.

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.environ.33.081307.123117

https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/29/1/jcli-d-15-0260.1.xml

https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news/severe-drought-and-warm-winter-spells-
affect-maghreb-and-turkiye-2023-03-10_en

https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/repository/libraries/id:1w1mps0ir17q9sgxanf9/hierarchy/
Documents/Your%20Council/Meetings/2021/Environment%202021%20list/Item_6-
22042021-Marlborough_Climate_change_report_2021.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169414008427?
casa_token=mG0asmtELT4AAAAA:P8GD6Zu78DrWA21UZq_Hx5lYDSy-
wuGfwd97ucrkL7ROcGfnVRpITCJK02I4jZYFEyupwP_jVQ

https://eos.org/editors-vox/anthropogenic-drought-how-humans-affect-the-global-ecosystem

https://niwa.co.nz/our-science/climate/publications/regional-climatologies/marlborough
https://www.lallemandwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vineyards-in-the-Western-
Cape-are-hit-hard-by-the-drought.pdf

https://www.marlboroughonline.co.nz/marlborough/information/commentary/wild-about-the-
withers/

https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/environment/natural-hazards/drought