Regulated Defecit Initiative (RDI)

Regulated Defecit Initiative (RDI) aims to establish just when and how much water a vine needs to produce the ultimate grapes.

Briaan explains: “A little water results in small berries with thin skins and lots of flavour, and a lot of water results in big juicy berries with thin skins but not much flavour." Somewhere in the middle is a grape that ripens sufficiently without stress and offers good flavour concentration, but produces enough quantity to make it worthwhile for the farmer, and this is what the project aims to establish.

Several vineyards have been selected, and blocks within the vineyard demarcated. Within these blocks varying amounts of water are being fed to different vines and the quality and ripeness is being monitored.

“By the end of the project we hope to have a better idea of just how much water a vine needs, and when to give it,” explains Briaan.