Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/235941
GRAPEGROWING daily results or seasonal trends for Brix, pH and TA or total phenols, tannin and anthocyanins appear on the screen. Members of the vineyard team can review soil and petiole analyses. And, they can evaluate the one variable that they cannot control—the weather. They can consider up-to-date information from weather stations, when they last irrigated a vineyard block and how quickly water is flowing through the vines. The servers gather data from a variety of sources, compare it and then transmit it to team members along the network. A control panel displays a map of vineyard blocks monitored by sap-flow sensors, for K arl Wente admits that all this technology hardly matters unless the vineyard and winery crews make better wines—some bigger and richer, others subtler and more complex. "It's all in the name of producing the best bottle of wine," he says. The monitor in the production lab reports the vital signs during fermentation and blending, too. Wine X Ray helps members of the winemaking team evaluate phenolics soon after they sample the must or finished wine. "With technology to keep track of color, tannin and complex anthocyanins, winemakers can learn more from each vintage," says Brad Buehler, director of winemaking at Wente Family Estates. And with the 2013 growing and harvest seasons behind them, change is already at hand. "We are making wine differently CA LIFO R NI A this year," Buehler says. CALIFORNIA "Instead of pressing to dryness, we are watching tannins to reflect the style of wine we want to make," explains Andrew Lynch, assistant winemaker for Wente's Wente Vineyards NV small lot winery. "With better analytics," Wente adds, "we can fine-tune fermentation." Pacific Ocean T.U. Transporting the Wine Industry to a Greener Future Yandell Truckaway, Inc. Family Owned and Operated Since 1945 Dedicated to managing integrated transportation and storage for the wine industry. Yandell Truckaway, Inc.— Specialized equipment to maintain the integrity of wine, refrigerated and insulated trailing equipment, CARB compliant carrier, and an EPA SmartWay Transport Partner. SC Warehouses, Inc.—Bonded and temperature controlled wine storage, supply chain solutions to maximize cost effectiveness, large scale production projects, repack, labeling, import and export wine consolidation services, quality control services, and reselection. Alicia Yandell & John Yandell Phone: 925.988.9800 Website: www.yandell-scw.com ContaCt: 96 W in es & V i ne s january 20 14 courtesy wente fam il y estates Sacramento San Francisco In the name of better wine