This document is a collective expert review initiated by the OIV and prepared by the “Sustainable Development and Climate Change” Group of the Viticulture Commission. Its purpose is to provide an overview of existing methodologies for calculating the Water Footprint (WF) in grape and wine production. It examines the theoretical foundations, practical applications, strengths, and limitations of each methodology within viticultural contexts. The terminology, definitions, and methodological references used here are intended solely for the purposes of this review and do not imply endorsement or standardisation beyond the scope of this document. Furthermore, this document does not constitute a regulatory instrument and should not be interpreted as representing the official position of the OIV or its Member States.
It should also be emphasised that the primary objective of this initial document is to raise awareness on the topic and to offer a preliminary framework, derived from the exploratory survey conducted, which can support more detailed and in-depth investigations in future work. It does not aim to identify the most suitable methodology for calculating the water footprint (WF) in viticulture.
Based on previous OIV resolutions (VITI 5/98; VITI 1/99; VITI 2/2003 and VITI 641-2020), there is a need to define good water management practices and to provide a methodology for calculating the water footprint (WF) in vineyards, in accordance with the sustainability principles set out in these resolutions. Several approaches exist for calculating the WF in agricultural production. The objective of this document is to review these methodologies and provide guidelines for their use in assessing water footprint in grape and wine production.
According to research done in 2007 and 2011, wine production, through grape growing and winemaking operations, uses roughly 1 000 litres of water for each 1 litre of wine produced, including rainwater. The term “water footprint” was adopted in response to growing concern about assessing water consumption in the production of goods and services. The concept was developed by Hoekstra and other researchers, who created a model for its calculation.
Definition of WF
The WF is a measure of the appropriation of freshwater resources by human activities. The WF of a product is defined as the volume of freshwater used to produce the product over the full supply chain. It distinguishes the volumes of water consumed through colour-coded fractions, depending on how the water is sourced and/or polluted :
• Green water footprint: the volume of water consumed by crops (transpiration, evaporation from the soil surface, and incorporation into plant tissues) from the root zone of the soil. It originates mainly from local rainfall.
• Blue water footprint: the portion of water consumption drawn from surface and groundwater sources. Consumption refers to the volume of water that evaporates, is incorporated into a product, or is transferred – spatially and temporally – from water bodies into the production system. This includes additional evaporation and crop transpiration resulting from vineyard irrigation, as well as water use in production (e.g., winery operations, fuel, electricity, agrochemicals).
• Grey water footprint: the degree of freshwater pollution. It is defined as the volume of freshwater required to assimilate a given pollutant load, based on existing ambient water quality standards. The grey water footprint is relevant to
both the vineyard and the winery.
This document presents a preliminary examination and review of studies that have identified the primary existing WF calculation methodologies relevant to the wine sector. The advantages, limitations and potential uses presented are general and preliminary. Further analysis, conducted through a systematic review using the selected methodological approach, will support a better understanding of how these methodologies can be applied in practice and whether they are more suitable for assessing the WF of the vineyard alone or for evaluating the WF across the entire wine value chain.
The full report can be downloaded here.
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