NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 21, 2017 / Since the 1990s, vintners have been utilizing geographic positioning and information systems (GPS and GIS) in order to plan and construct their vineyards and guide their management practices. Since soils aren't laid out in neat grids and often represent millions of years of geological history, the tools have become vital to growers. While GPS is still widely used, present day winemakers have an array of technologies at their disposal. International wine consultant Steven Zoernack recently spoke on the best tech currently available for both winery and vineyard developers.
Established in 1973, the PELLENC Group developed a zero-emissions mechanical harvester in 2008 that is designed to de-stem and remove other materials from the fruit while picking them directly from the vine. Considered a novelty ten years ago, these machines have quickly become an important and relied upon tool; they allow winemakers to focus almost entirely on the fermentation process. As a result, vineyards that have adopted the PELLENC harvesters are experiencing faster, more efficient output. More advanced automated technology, including robots programmed to do everything from quality check grapes still attached to the vine to sorting them post-harvest, has begun to gain prevalence in recent years. Although the majority of the hardware is relatively new, many developers have reported early successes. Still, others question how the technology fits into the culture of winemaking.
Growers who want to gather in-depth data on the status of their inventory and operations process have begun to utilize pressure sensors, says Steven Zoernack. When installed throughout a vineyard, the sensors can measure the composition of the wine through every phase of production. On the user end, the software indicates poor or contaminated batches, saving winery owners thousands of dollars in quality control. In addition, many developers are choosing to upgrade their filtration equipment to cross-filtration systems that can effectively remove a grape's solids from its liquids. The latest filtering technology allows vintners the confidence that their wine is pure and of the highest quality possible.
Steven Zoernack attended Boston University's School of Engineering and Fordham University's School of Economics at Lincoln Center in New York. After a thirty-year career in the financial services sector, employed by some of the most prestigious investment banks of the times including Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, Zoernack opted to follow a lifelong passion and pursue a profession in the agricultural industry as an independent wine consultant, conducting wine tastings and reviews for California's most prestigious wineries. In the coming years, Zoernack plans to branch into vineyard ownership, management and winemaking, with a focus on organic farming.
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