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CO VER S T OR Y A color-coded system shows each tank's status, which can include fill level, temperature and the last Brix measurement. Inventory. VINx2 can be licensed as a subscription service or purchased outright, says Jamie Gilchrist at VINx2. Prices vary depending on the number of modules and users required. Gilchrist says the sign-on fees for a sub- scription option can range from $2,000 to $7,000. The Base wine production module has a monthly subscription fee of $300, and the Advanced Inventory module is $200 per month. Outright purchase op- tions start at $15,000 for the Base system plus $7,500 for Advanced Inventory. Making it better Before Parry and Crafton launched this new generation of electronic tools at Cha- teau Montelena, the last vintage and all the vintages that preceded it were distant memories. "We couldn't trace what we did last year," Crafton says. "We want to capture all this data so that we can make more accurate and timely decisions to improve the quality of our wine," Parry adds. With hardware and software that keeps track of variables such as temperature, pump overs, lab results and even which batch of fruit stayed on the skins five hours longer than the rest of the lot, wine- makers can parse each vintage and learn more from their experiences. "Let's look at the top 10 lots to see how they are different (from the other wine we make) and reproduce them," Crafton says. With the 2011 harvest behind them, re- thinking the lab and the winery has borne better-than-expected fruit. "Since last June, we've seen a lot of stuff for the first time," Parry says. "Even after the first harvest, we are much better off than we were before." Thomas Ulrich wrote a story about mech- anical harvesting for the January issue. He teaches journalism at San Jose State University. Two years ago, we told the world we could replicate the fl avors of a French oak barrel by alternative means. Experts balked, then proved our point in blind tastings, actually choosing our fl avors over those of prestigious French barrels. We didn't stop there. Today we' re offering the tools to recreate fl avor profi les of a whole range of different barrels. Whether they come from France or Kentucky, Hungary or Spain. Never before have winemakers had such a wide array of fl avor controls at their command. ® StaVın Inc, P.O.Box 1693, Sausalito,CA 94966 (415) 331-7849 f (415) 331-0516 stavin.com Wines & Vines JULY 2012 29 © 2010 StaVin Inc.