Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/918844
January 2018 WINES&VINES 69 VINTAGE 2017 www.vinwizard.com Tank Control, Winery Control VinWizard takes temperature control and pumpover to new levels! In fact you can control by any level you want with the breakthrough Multi-Level-Probe. Up to 30 temperature sensor points from top to bottom Automate pumpovers or agitators based on stratification trigger points. Dynamically select which sensor will be your point of control. Control by average temperature, cap temperature or high/low. Refine pumpovers based on stratification visualisation Remotely accessible – phone, tablets or computer Add modules as required for total winery integration: includes pumpover, chillers, environment, water, gas blanketing, level, barrel halls etc Immediate & substantial logic driven power saving modules: includes powerful load scheduling North America Sales Agent 707.573.3150 sales@tombeard.com UNIFIED BOOTH 1011 R R R SYSTEM FEATURES Onscreen Stratification Customised 3D visualisation Kathe Kaigas, Director of Wine Production: Brasswood Cellars: "When you are performing an operation on a tank such as a pumpover or a punchdown you can see the homogenization of temperature of the must" Were your estate vineyards, or the vineyards you buy grapes from, affected by wildfires? FIRES NORTHWEST No Yes spikes, followed by a normal sum- mer with a cool but stable finish in October. Other than the early frost mentioned, it was beautiful fall for finishing and harvesting grapes with very few rain days. Some mildew pressure was due to weather: wetter than average spring, larger canopies and un- settled spring weather for spray applications. Mealybug pressure was higher than in recent years. Cases of leafroll were more wide- spread. Botrytis pressure was fairly low. Mites, leafhoppers and most other pests were managed in nor- mal fashion. After years of growth and strong demand for grapes, a general slowdown in the alcohol beverage marketplace (including slowed pre- mium wine sales) slowed demand for grapes in Washington. Long- term contracts helped keep prices fairly stable, but demand for un- contracted grapes slowed except for special niche markets and club wines. A lower crop did not in- crease demand for uncontracted fruit, regardless of price per ton. Growers used more mechaniza- tion in vineyards than ever before. More acres were 100% mecha- nized: pre-pruning, pruning, shoot thinning, leafing, wire movements, crop adjustments and harvesting. Thousands more acres were picked with destem- ming technology with probably a dozen new destemming harvest- ers in the state. Labor was short. New trucking laws limiting driver hours im- pacted the harvest schedule and will increase costs in the future (winery pays for shipping but reg- ulations will impact landed cost). A lighter crop made it easier to harvest with enough cooperage to finish on time. Destemming tech- nology helped ease some labor issues as winemakers grow com- fortable with "destemmed to bins" fruit to replace handpicking, even in higher tiers. The greatest logis- tical challenge with all the new production Cabernet Sauvignon was balancing the need to maxi- mize hang time for ripening with the need to cover acreage with harvesters before the weather changes in late fall. ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° Destemming technol- ogy helped ease some labor issues as wine- makers grow comfort- able with "destemmed to bins" fruit to replace handpicking, even in higher tiers. Vicky Scharlau Executive director Washington Winegrowers Association