Most vineyards today are monocultures where only one crop is grown: the grapevine. While this might look neat and efficient, monoculture farming is inherently fragile. It strips the land of diversity, weakens natural resilience, and makes the vineyard more vulnerable to drought, pests, and disease. The ecosystem gets quiet. They’re left to rely on chemicals, irrigation, and human intervention just to stay alive. Reintroducing trees whether as hedgerows, within vine rows, or surrounding vineyard parcels, can reverse some of this damage. Trees build soil carbon, moderate microclimates, attract beneficial insects, and even facilitate communication between plants via fungal networks. Introducing: agroforestry.
The world of agroforestry in viticulture, is the practice of integrating trees into farming systems, is undergoing a quiet renaissance in vineyards around the world. As climate change pressures increase and biodiversity continues to decline, winegrowers are looking to the past for inspiration and finding it in the shade of trees.
This regenerative practice is not only helping mitigate drought and extreme weather, but it’s also shaping the future of quality winemaking. It’s not just about planting trees—it’s about planting the right trees in the right way, for your specific climate, soil, and goals.
In Mediterranean climates, shade from trees can reduce sunburn and moderate extreme heat. In wetter or cooler climates, too much shade can increase disease pressure or reduce grape quality. Emmanuel recommended white-wooded trees like maple or ash that allow pruning and co-existence with vineyard equipment.
Ted Lemon of Littorai Wines in California has practiced agroforestry for over 20 years. His experience? “Trees buffer extremes, reduce fire risk, and feed the soil. Our vines are healthier, and our farm is more resilient.”
Juliette from Château Cheval Blanc shared similar findings from Bordeaux: “We’ve planted 90 trees per hectare. So far, no reduction in yield or quality—and a big increase in biodiversity.”
From Ancient Roots to Modern Revival
Agroforestry in viticulture isn’t new. Ancient Romans used a system called arbustum, where farmers grew grapes by letting them grow up and climb on trees. Some of these “vines-on-trees” systems still exist today in regions like southern Bolivia and northern Portugal, South-Western Turkey. In Bolivia’s high valleys, for example, winegrowers stake grapevines onto native trees such as molle or chañar, creating a biodiverse system that supports vegetables, fruits, and fodder crops alongside grapes. Similarly, the traditional vinha do enforcado (“hanged vineyard”) system in Portugal uses trees like Platanus or Celtis australis as living trellises, enabling vertical vine growth while preserving valuable arable land below for other uses.
These tree-based systems offer more than cultural value — they demonstrate how integrated farming can increase ecosystem services without sacrificing grape quality.
What Are the Advantages of Agroforestry in Vineyards?
The benefits of integrating trees into vineyards are broad and interconnected. Here’s why more winemakers are embracing this age-old practice:
Better Water Management
Trees improve soil structure, increase organic matter, and boost microbial activity — all of which help soils retain water. Their roots create channels in the soil (micropores and macropores), allowing better water infiltration and storage. This helps vines survive during dry periods and reduces dependence on costly irrigation.
Built-In Drought Protection
With rainfall becoming more erratic, trees act like natural water managers. Their shade reduces evaporation, their roots bring up deep moisture, and their leaf litter adds a protective cover. All of this makes the vineyard more resilient to drought and extreme weather.
Boosted Grape Quality
Surprisingly, a little water stress is a good thing. Mild water stress caused by tree-vine competition can lead to smaller grapes with more concentrated sugars, acids, and phenolic compounds. Results in wines with richer color, deeper flavor, and better balance.
Natural Pest Control
Trees attract birds, bats, insects, and mammals that eat common vineyard pests. They’re functional tools that bring balance to the ecosystem.
Enhanced Biodiversity
More trees mean more life. From hummingbirds and wasps to owls and foxes, the vineyard becomes a thriving habitat, not just a production zone. From natural pest control to preserving wild yeast strains essential for fermentation, the surrounding environment shapes the vineyard far more than we might realize.
Climate Impact & Soil Health
Trees sequester carbon and improve soil carbon stocks over time. Their presence in vineyards aligns with regenerative goals of carbon drawdown, soil regeneration, and long-term sustainability. Healthier soils mean healthier vines, which in turn yield better wines.
The Return of Grapevine grow on Trees
In places like Bolivia’s Cinti and Cotagaita valleys, Turkey’s Bodrum or Portugal’s Vale do Sousa, growing vines on trees is more than an agronomic technique — it’s a cultural legacy. These systems have stood the test of time, offering multifunctional benefits:
- Space efficiency: Vines grow vertically on tree trunks, freeing space underneath for vegetables, maize, or animal grazing.
- Biodiversity boost: Trees provide shade, cooling effects, and shelter for birds, bats, and beneficial insects.
- Unique wine profiles: Grapes grown in partial shade ripen differently, often yielding wines with fresher acidity, lower alcohol, and more delicate aromatics.
Yes, it’s more labor-intensive — harvesting from tall vines with ladders is no easy task — but the ecological and quality benefits can outweigh the costs, especially for winemakers focused on artisanal or natural production.
Quality Wine from a Diverse Landscape
Agroforestry doesn’t just protect the planet, it can actually improve wine quality:
- Better grape composition: Mild water stress increases sugars, phenolics, and skin tannins.
- Improved balance: Cooler microclimates help retain acidity and freshness.
- Greater terroir expression: Soils stay healthy and microbial life thrives, enhancing vine communication with the land.
In fact, research shows that grapes grown in biodiverse systems often yield more aromatic, balanced, and complex wines not despite the trees and bugs, but because of them.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Agroforestry isn’t without its hurdles. Transitioning from conventional monoculture to integrated systems requires time, planning, and labor. In some regions, regulatory frameworks unintentionally incentivize removal of traditional agroforestry systems.
Still, interest is growing. From Château Cheval Blanc to experimental plots in California and regenerative estates in Sicily, winegrowers are testing the benefits of a tree-lined future.
In a world seeking climate solutions, the vineyard of the future may look a lot more like the vineyard of the past — wilder, more diverse, and shaded by the wisdom of trees.
Reference:
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