Connecticut's been suffering from a drought, which means favorite fall activities are also suffering from lack of rain -- like local wineries.
The owners of Holmberg Orchards and Winery in Gales Ferry said they've taken steps to install a trickle irrigation system that's essentially the difference between having an average season or losing a lot of money.
"When the weather dries up, it's our job to put the water on, which we have the capacity to do. So The plants weathered it just fine," Russell Holmberg said of this year's grape crop.
The orchards and vineyard manager said he installed trickle irrigation for any new fruit he plants over the past 10 years or so. It costs between $1,000 to $2,000 per acre to put in, Holmberg said, but it can save a season.
"Some years it seems like a waste of time and money. Other years, like this last one, we find it's a really good investment," Holmberg said.
It costs money to use, but there's a higher yield of grapes.
Grapes also like drier conditions, Holmberg said. It rained a bit in September and October when they were ripe and ready for picking and it caused a bit of rotting.
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"Many of the best wine regions in the world are those with the least amount of rainfall. Whereas generally our yields have been less, the quality of our fruit and wines get better with less rainfall and warmer days," George Motel, the president of the Connecticut Vineyard & Winery Association, said.
When it comes to conserving water during the drought, Holmberg said gauges and meters help them know how much water to use.
"Trickle irrigation is the most conservative with respect to water because you're only putting it on the plants roots and you're only putting (down) what they take up," he said.
Over time, Holmberg wants to put trickle irrigation on all of his crops.
But the recent rain was not a welcomed break. Holmberg said he lost about 75 percent of business Saturday because of the weather, and it's the peak of the season -- two weekends before Halloween.
