Since the plots were located intwodifferent soil types within the experimental sites, it is important to measure the soil water content characteristics of each location. The ‘SB’ and ‘RI’ were grown on an eroded site, while the ‘KA’ and ‘LE’ were on a plot with deeper soil, but treated and control vines of all cultivars were grown within the
same plot. The values of soil water content by ‘SB’ and ‘RI’ gradually decreased from bud-break to the “pea size berry” stage in 2004(Table 1). The cultivars showed the lowest values on this soil by the pea size berry stage in both years. The year 2004 was a rather rainy vintage, but there was a period with moderate drought stress in July, which also marked a decline of the soil water content between phenological stages of flowering and pea size berry. During this period, the soil water content decreased by 28% in ‘SB’ and ‘RI’ and by 16% in ‘KA’ and ‘LE’ between the stages of anthesis and pea size berry. Data of soil water content established the fact that we could find moderate drought stress only at the site of ‘SB’ and ‘RI’.