(Wine-Searcher) - Ongoing water issues in the state could have far-reaching consequences for grape-growers and wine drinkers.

California's ongoing severe drought didn't much impact the wine industry in 2014. Next year, though, the forecast is dry with widespread flurries of problems.

Water shortages could lead to a much smaller crop. Even worse, it's possible that California grape-growers might experience a problem unheard of in this state: grapes that fail to ripen.

All of this gloom and doom could be washed away by a wet winter, but "right now it doesn't look good," climatologist Greg Jones says.

"The longterm forecast is still showing relatively warm and dry conditions, especially from northern California southward," Jones says. He added that while it is possible that an El Niño current might form this winter, it would likely be a mild one that "doesn't look like it's going to do much for the western United States."

If the drought continues, some vineyards that had access to water in 2014 won't have it next year, because reservoir levels are already low and farm-use water is already being restricted.

Grapevines are naturally fairly hardy under dry conditions, so the vines themselves are unlikely to die, even if not watered. The grapes they produce, however, could be greatly affected.

One major issue for vineyards is the buildup of salts in soils, says Mark Battany, UC Cooperative Farm Advisor. During a wet winter, these salts are washed away. But California hasn't had a wet winter in three years. Farmers were able to irrigate at the beginning of the drought to make up the difference, but increasingly water supplies are restricted.

Battany says that excess salt buildup in the soil can cause grapevines to lose their leaves.