More than a decade later, all of Beneduce’s 27 acres are dry farmed. This decision, guided by equal parts restraint and sustainability, meant he could avoid the plastic pumps and tubing often required for irrigation. “We’re always trying to minimize inputs,” says Beneduce. “Water is certainly an important one in today’s world.”
Today, dry farming, or relying only on rainfall to water crops, is often framed as an ecological ideal. In an era shaped by water scarcity and sustainability concerns, dry farming offers clear benefits: fewer inputs, deeper root systems, more resilient vines. A region generally needs between 15 and 20 inches of annual rainfall for successful dry farming, but as the practice has gained traction across the wine industry, our understanding of dry farming and what it takes to make it work has flattened almost to the point of distortion. In reality, those working closely with dry farming know just how detailed it is to put into practice—pointing to annual rainfall thresholds, soil composition, and vine age—and how much is actually happening underground. With climate change making it harder to predict when and where sufficient rainfall will occur, dry farming has only become an increasingly more complex system for winemakers to navigate.
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Dry farming was once the norm in arid winegrowing regions, but the popularization of drip irrigation in the 1960s opened up a world of possibility in regions that, while not necessarily arid, still benefited from some sort of irrigation. Even today, many of Europe’s most prestigious regions including Bordeaux and Piedmont are bound by strict irrigation legislation, permitting it only under specific conditions.
The belief that irrigation diluted the flavor and intensity of the grapes, ultimately erasing any sense of terroir, helped position dry farming as a quality-driven choice. But growers and researchers say the reality is more complex and insist the benefits exceed flavor alone.
Therese Herzog, the owner and general manager of Hans Herzog Estate in Wairu Valley, New Zealand, reinforces just how conditional dry farming truly is. “It’s always about quality, balance, and respect for the environment, rather than simply avoiding irrigation,” she says. “When discussing dry farming, context is everything. Climate, soils, and water reserves all matter.”
Therese Herzog, the owner and general manager of Hans Herzog Estate in Wairu Valley, New Zealand, has practiced dry farming at the family-owned winery since vines were first planted in 1996. Photo courtesy of Hans Herzog Estate.
How Vines Respond to Dry Farming
“If irrigating, you’re basically training that root system to grow up to the surface to get the water, and you end up with a very shallow-rooted vine,” says Beneduce. “When you’re a dry farmer, you’re forcing the roots to grow down into the earth to seek out their own water sources. So you end up with this very deeply rooted vine.”
At Beneduce Vineyards, those root systems now reach eight to 10 feet below the surface, allowing vines to absorb more nutrients and seek out deeper water sources.
Justine Vanden Heuvel, a professor of viticulture at Cornell University, explains how vines slow water loss when they come under stress. “As soil water availability declines, vine water potential becomes more negative, triggering stomatal closure and reducing transpiration and photosynthesis,” she says. Simply put, when water becomes scarce, vines shift from maximizing growth to conserving water.
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“In soils with sufficient depth, good structure, and no restrictive layers, a drying surface profile can encourage roots to grow downward in search of water,” continues Vanden Heuvel. “The deficit needs to be imposed gradually rather than abruptly for this to work. Conversely, in shallow soils … reduced irrigation does not lead to deeper rooting and may instead result in reduced root growth.”
The effects of dry farming extend beyond the roots. As the soils dry, the entire soil ecosystem begins to shift, affecting both the quantity and quality of nutrients that are available to the vine.
In a joint written response, Zac Freedman, Ph.D., an associate professor of soil microbiology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Gwendolyn T. Pipes, a Ph.D. student studying under Dr. Freedman, explain, “When soils get very dry, the microbes that help keep soils healthy and nutrients flowing tend to slow down, which means nutrients are released more slowly from the organic matter in soil, which can ultimately limit the vine productivity.”
Soil moisture also impacts how water is retained, how organic matter breaks down, and how the nutrients move through the system, which links soil health directly to vine performance.
University of Wisconsin–Madison soil microbiology researchers Zac Freedman, Ph.D., and Gwendolyn T. Pipes (above) note prolonged dry soil conditions can reduce the amount of nutrients available to vines. Photo courtesy of Gwendolyn T. Pipes.
Not Every Vineyard Can Go Dry
Success with dry farming depends on a combination of site-specific factors, including soil structure, rainfall, vine age, and plant material. “Rootstock genotype will play a role in this, as some rootstocks are more inherently capable of exploring deeper soil horizons than others,” says Vanden Heuvel.
Vine age is yet another consideration in determining whether dry farming is feasible or not. “When a vine is really young, it has a very small shallow root system,” says Beneduce. “So they don’t have the connection to the soil to pull water from a larger soil volume. Younger vines in the first year or two will need to be irrigated.”
In Chile’s Itata Valley, Pablo Pedreros, the owner of Vinos Mingaco, grows Muscat of Alexandria, Cinsault, and País on granitic soil that’s dotted with red clay and white quartz. Here, dry farming is a tradition that has shaped the wines for over 200 years.
Pedreros uses dry farming as just one piece of a comprehensive regenerative viticulture strategy, along with avoiding fertilizers and herbicides. With between 34 and 35 inches of rainfall a year, he believes their soil is rich in organic matter, which helps the vines to thrive with only rainfall.
“What retains humidity is the organic matter,” says Pedreros. “In conventional systems, that’s often lost, but with regenerative practices, we’re able to keep moisture in the soil even without irrigation.”
For growers like Beneduce, the benefits of dry farming are tangible. “In addition to being more drought tolerant because of that deeper root system, we find that the plants overall are healthier and more resistant to insects and disease,” says Beneduce. “And they also have less nutritional deficiencies because they’re able to access the minerals deeper down in the soil horizons.”
As climate change intensifies drought and rainfall variability, the future of dry farming becomes more uncertain. Photo courtesy of Hans Herzog Estate.
The Tradeoffs of Dry Farming
As a tool, dry farming is most effective when used in tandem with other vineyard practices. And as with any other practice, growers have to decide if the benefits are worth the tradeoffs.
“Over time, the microbial community can shift toward hardier types that are better at surviving drought, but … less efficient in their nutrient use and cycling capacity,” write Freedman and Pipes. “If soils stay too dry for too long, it can limit how much nutrients the vines receive.”
For Pedreros, the disadvantages manifest as decreased yields. “Right now we’re producing about one kilo per plant, which is very low for this region,” explains Pedreros. “Our neighbors can get up to five kilos per plant, even with dry farming, if they use fertilizers.”
As climate change amplifies both drought threat and rainfall variability, the future of dry farming becomes more uncertain. Winemakers eager to reduce their water footprint—90 percent of which is used for irrigation—may turn to dry farming today, while also understanding that conditions may change in the future.
“I think what farmers worry about most is climate chaos—longer stretches of drought followed by higher-volume precipitation events, like hurricanes,” says Beneduce. “I do wonder how that will impact our ability to dry farm over time.”
