Marlborough wine industry turns to dams to protect against future water worries

Having a dam is the new norm for wine companies and grapegrowers as they seek to protect themselves from future water restrictions, a dam builder says. It used to be uncommon for small to medium-sized vineyards in Marlborough to need a dam, but two years of drought and soaring global temperatures had hammered home the need for a reliable water source. Peter Wilkinson grows grapes with his partner Penny Dollimore in the lower Waihopai Valley, drawing water from the Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme and a well on the property.