Water to wine in wineries in Portugal Douro Region: Comparative study between wineries with different sizes Cristina Matos a,d, ⁎, António Pirra b,c a ECT, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), apartado 1013, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal b ECAV, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Departamento de Agronomia, Portugal c CQVR- Centro de química-, VR, Apartado 1013, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal d CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research of the University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões Avenida General Norton de Matos, S/N, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal HIGHLIGHTS • There are clearly two distinct seasons in the winery water consumption. • In the high season water consumption is 2–3 or 5 times higher depending on the winery size. • Outside the harvest period, consump- tion shows a linear evolution in all win- eries. • During the harvest/first racking's con- sumption shows an exponential evolu- tion (35 to 50%). • The Wine produced influences the Spe- cific Consumption of Water benefiting large wineries due to the greater scale economy. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT abstract article info Article history: Received 9 February 2020 Received in revised form 7 May 2020 Accepted 8 May 2020 Available online 11 May 2020 Editor: Damia Barcelo Keywords: Water consumption Wine production Wineries Specific consumption of water Wine production, one of the oldest industries in the world is an industry for which water use in winery opera- tions is often disregarded of best practice, with many managers unconscious how water is used within their operations. Given the economic and cultural significance attributed to wine production in Portugal and in the world, it is cru- cial that research be undertaken to understand how water is used in wine industry in order to increase the effi- cient use of this vital resource. The study aimed to measure, evaluate and discuss the water consumption in three wineries with different production volumes. Results showed that there are clearly two distinct seasons in the consumption of water: a low season (from No- vember to August, sensu lato), with reduced consumptions, and a high season, corresponding to the harvest/first racking period (September/October), a period in which water consumption is multiplied by a factor 2–3 in the smallest wineries, or by a factor 5 in the larger ones. Outside the harvest period, consumption shows a linear evo- lution in all wineries. During the harvest/first rackings season (September/October), consumption increases, showing an exponential evolution, with around 35 to 50% of annual water accumulated consumption (as shown in A and B wineries mainly). Science of the Total Environment 732 (2020) 139332 ⁎ Corresponding author at: ECT, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), apartado 1013, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal. E-mail addresses: crismato@utad.pt (C. Matos), apirra@utad.pt (A. Pirra). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139332 0048-9697/© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv