(Wines&Vines) - Among many issues of concern to California’s vast and valuable wine industry, water ranks in the top tier. With annual precipitation fluctuating wildly from flood (2011) to famine (potentially 2012), confusing use regulations and constant, costly squabbles among users, one potential threat to California’s water has eluded attention from the wine industry. Hydraulic fracturing, better known as “fracking,” is a procedure used by petroleum companies to lubricate drilling for gas and oil.