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The vascular system of grapevine (Vitis spp.) has been reported as being highly vulnerable, even though grapevine regularly experiences seasonal drought. Consequently, stomata would remain open below water potentials that would generate a high loss of stem hydraulic conductivity via xylem embolism. This situation would necessitate daily cycles of embolism repair to restore hydraulic function. However, a more parsimonious explanation is that some hydraulic techniques are prone to artifacts in species with long vessels, leading to the overestimation of vulnerability. The aim of this study was to provide an unbiased assessment of (1) the vulnerability to drought-induced embolism in perennial and annual organs and (2) the ability to refill embolized vessels in two Vitis species X-ray micro-computed tomography observations of intact plants indicated that both Vitis  vinifera and Vitis  riparia were relatively …