Paper short abstract:

I explore vineyard expansion in the Negev over last forty years. With searing heat and little rain, growers experimented with techniques that anticipate changes other nations will adopt in the face of climate change, from trellising, and saline tolerant vines to testing theories of water stress.

Paper long abstract:

This paper interrogates vineyard expansion in Israel’s Negev Desert over last forty years. With searing heat and little rain, growers experimented with viticultural practices that anticipate changes other nations will adopt in the face of climate change. Trellising practices, for example, provided greater shade for grapes. Vignerons also experimented with rootstocks that were better able to tolerate the higher saline levels because brackish groundwater contains salt from the Mediterranean. Considering the stress of limited water resources, they also explored which grape varieties and clones responded more quickly and flavorably to harsh environmental conditions. In addressing these ecological restraints, the paper will touch on the larger cultural context of grape growing in the Negev from Israel’s contested status of as a settler colonial state to the production of kosher wines for a secular audience and the challenges of infiltrating the global market given Israel’s smaller yields and consumer perceptions of desert production.