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Gwine G Raking RAPE m OWING describing the well-being of the vines. In addition to guiding day-to-day field work, the servers calculate a powdery mildew index based on field data and formulas developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis. Sorenson can review the index from his laptop computer to determine whether the atmosphere is humid enough to favor the growth of powdery mildew and calm enough to spray the vineyard. Alerted to conditions ripe for an outbreak, he can inspect the vines to adjust the interval between applications of fungicide. While a strong wind can reduce the chance of an infection by drying out the canopy, it can also accelerate evapotranspiration. Wireless sensors strapped to vines located near four weather stations collect sap-flow rates to help Sorenson and other members of the vineyard team determine how much to irrigate and when. Thermocouples measure the change in temperature before and after a heater warms the sap. Knowing how much heat is displaced as the sap moves along the cordon, the server calculates how much water is flowing inside each vine. A slow sap-flow rate with high climatic demand is a sign that the water is moving slowly through the vine, a condition that suggests the plant is not drawing enough water and will experience a water deficit. A fast sap-flow rate is a sign that water is moving quickly through the vine, a condition that can invigorate the plant but delay ripening. Software and sensors from Tule Technologies complement the data transmitted by the sap-flow sensors. They determine water loss through surface evaporation A Dynamax Flow4 logger collects sap-flow data to help determine vine water status. and plant transpiration by measuring the drying effect of wind eddies on grapevine canopies over a broad area of the vineyard. They report actual evapotranspiration, cumulative and potential water stress permitting Sorenson to compare results with the sap-flow sensors to predict demand. Irrigation affects the aroma, astringency, balance, body, color, taste and texture of wine. Too little water can reduce yield. Too much water can decrease alcohol, color and pH, while increasing titratable acidity. From a cell phone or laptop computer, Sorenson can evaluate water demand and soil moisture for a single vine or the entire vineyard, and then replace a shortage with the precise amount of water that the vineyard needs to produce healthy vines. "I look at the results and base my decisions on immediate information," Sorenson says. "The technology, though, empowers field supervisors to make decisions on their own, freeing me to concentrate on improving the technology that we've already put in place." Boots on the ground The production lab white board holds a sixor seven-day rolling schedule. Today, vineyard managers tote mobile phones and portable computers, not paper and pen into the fields. Instead of scribbling their observations into daily journals, they tap information onto a mobile device sharing field information with team members in the winery and elsewhere in the vineyards. Signals travel along electronic pathways accounting for every desktop and mobile computer in the network. Winery and vineyard workers can report or retrieve data and alert one another when they need to share vital information. Early in the season, vineyard manager Teodoro Simon can report bud break, Weather stations in multiple locations send field data across a network. bloom, veraison or whether leaf hoppers are present. Closer to harvest, he can retrieve the Brix, TA and pH for a specific vineyard block. Members of the vineyard team collect Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot grapes from more than 100 Livermore Valley vineyards. The winery team gathers must and wine during fermentation and blending. They send grapes, must and wine to Enologix. Thirty-six hours later, they receive a phenolic profile for each sample. Enologix provides them with an enological index that rates each varietal based on flavor chemistry and taste, and a style index that compares each sample to benchmark wines from highly regarded appellations. "The analysis of the grapes shows us the potential of the vineyards," Elizabeth Kester, lab manager and enologist for Wente Family Estates, says. "By evaluating the grape, must and wine during harvest, fermentation and blending, we can see if we are reaching that potential and modify our fermentation and blending practices to produce the highest quality wines." A room with a view The production lab is part tasting room, part strategic command post. From early spring to late fall, the vineyard and winery teams gather there to oversee the vintage. The far wall frames the 60-inch monitor that charts the health of the vines. During harvest, a six- or seven-day rolling schedule flows across a whiteboard that covers a wall adjacent to the over-sized screen. The monitor reports vital signs for each vineyard block throughout the growing and harvest season. On command, for example, graphs and charts reporting Win es & Vin es ja n ua ry 20 14 95