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6 WINES&VINES July 2017 A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. ADVERTISING Vice President and Director of Sales Jacques Brix jbrix@winesandvines.com (707) 473-0244 West Lydia Hall lydia@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 103 Midwest Hooper Jones hooperhja@aol.com (847) 486-1021 East (except New York) Laura Lemos laura@boja.com (973) 822-9274 New York and International Dave Bayard dave@bayard.com (973) 822-9275 Advertising Production Manager April Kushner ads@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 114 DIGITAL EDITION All print subscribers now get digital access to Wines & Vines. You can: • DOWNLOAD pages or full issues • BROWSE current and archived issues • WATCH videos • ACCESS via desktop, tablet or smartphone • SEARCH by keyword or table of contents • NAVIGATE by topic or page thumbnail • QUESTIONS? Contact customer ser- vice at custserv@winesandvines.com or (866) 453-9701 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. PDT. WINEMAKING TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT 30 WINES& Paso Robles winery designed to be flexible and require little manpower TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT CONNECT WITH US CONTRIBUTORS Using technology to improve wine quality has long been a special interest for Richard Carey, Ph.D., owner of winemaking consultancy Tamanend Wine Inc. His Product Focus article on page 50 is the sec- ond of a two-part report on the various types of membrane filtration. In it, he discusses the leading equipment manufacturers and service providers in this highly technical field. Letting native yeasts do your fermentation should not be the same as simply letting nature take over, contributor Dr. Debra Rossouw writes in her article, "Uninoculated Fermention: New insights into a traditional technique," on page 54. Rossouw is a researcher in yeast molecular biology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, so she brings a wealth of experience to the topic and offers practical recommendations about managing native fermentations. Her current research focuses on the interaction between wine-relevant microor- ganisms including yeast and bacteria as well as interactions between different non-Saccharomyces yeast with one another and S. cerevisiae. What techniques can winemakers use to cope with the challenges of high-pH wines, especially if solutions such as ion exchange are either too expensive or not available? Extension educator Denise Gardner's article "Coping with High-pH Wines," beginning on page 60, defines the challenges presented by grapes with high potassium levels in making quality wines. She then discusses the production trials her re- search team undertook with the goal of giving small wineries another option to improve their wine quality. WINESANDVINES.COM JULY 2017 Winemakers Advocate Subtle Oak • Wine East: Coping With High-pH Fruit TECHNOLOGY ISSUE Choosing Winemaking Software Riboli's New Paso Winery Guide to Membrane Filtration ON THE COVER For the eighth annual Technology Issue, senior editor Andrew Adams looked into new and improved winemaking software (see page 40). Innovint, a cloud-based system, allows winery staff to receive work orders on the cellar floor just by looking at their phones. Photo by Rebecca Arnn. QUESTION FOR JULY: What has been the most important innovation in the wine industry? Brittany Pederson Viticulturist and pest control advisor, Silverado Farming Inc. Napa, Calif. The most important innovation I've seen since entering the wine industry 10 years ago has been mechanization. This ranges from mechanical leafers and optical sorters to UAV spray technology. Each type of mechanization has been able to find a niche utilization in this market and has gone from basic to detailed smart technol- ogy. Due to the labor shortage we face, this is the future of farming wine grapes here in California. Todd Maley Owner and vineyard manager Maley Brothers Woodbridge, Calif. Mechanical harvesters provide efficiencies and cost savings. We have one from Korvan and have been using mechanical harvesting for about 18 years. The wineries we sell to generally are pleased with the results. Jonathan Walters Director of farming Brassfield Estate Winery Clearlake Oaks, Calif. The best invention to me has been putting a destemmer on a wine grape harvester. It not only makes the grapegrower look good, the winemakers are totally in love with it. We've used a Pellenc with a Selectiv' Process II on it for two harvest seasons. The machine can pick cleaner and quicker than hand picking. Since there is no MOG, we've been able to skip the crush pad and go straight to barrel or straight to tank.