The lack of rain has forced California farmers and wine makers to turn from the sky to the ground to find water. It’s down there, but you have to know exactly where it is in order to drill a well.
There are a couple of options for how to do this: you can have a geologist use mapping and scientific data to get a lay of the land; or you can can hire a water witch. These are people who search for water using two thin sticks or iron rods that they say cross each other when there’s water under the earth.
This practice is more commonly called dowsing. It dates back thousands of years, but modern-day dowsers aren’t hard to find, like winemaker Marc Mondavi.
Today, he’s walking out near the vines in Napa Valley, but his focus is not on wine. He’s looking for water.
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