dryland viticulture, viticulture relying entirely on natural rainfall, and a term used, sometimes as a sales pitch, only in regions where irrigation is common.
There can be little doubt that some European areas with both moderate rainfall and Mediterranean climates, now practising fully dryland viticulture, could in some circumstances improve their wine quality if limited irrigation were allowed. Excessive water stress causes loss of photosynthesis and eventually of the leaves themselves, and can seriously prejudice normal ripening.
