Sunburn on the Vineyard: Terroir and the Sustainability of Juice

6 Agricultural sustainability practices make the best use 7 of both nature’s resources and available technology, 8 and generally avoid those land use practices that lead 9 to greater environmental stress. There are examples in 10 some agro-ecosystems, however, where stress is vital 11 to food quality and productivity. In the case of grape 12 production, a limited amount of environmental stress 13 actually leads to an increase in fruit quality, and with 14 wine grapes, to improved wine quality. But when the 15 stress exceeds an acceptable threshold, vine vigour 16 declines and production and quality may be compro17 mised. Using our experiences with environmental 18 stress in grapes grown in the landscapes of Central 19 and Eastern Washington, USA, we question how agri20 cultural sustainability should consider environmental 21 stress, and at what point management interventions 22 contribute or detract from a sustainable system. Framed 23 by the two French land-related terms ‘appellation’ and 24 ‘terroir’, we discuss agricultural sustainability for grape 25 cultivation in an arid climate.