Green Options » vineyards

Scientists Turn Water into Wine (Even in a Drought)

Courtney Carlisle — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:05:46 +0000

Their science is impressive, but their timing is dead on. It doesn’t quite seem fair that California has been blessed with the perfect growing climate for some of the world’s best agriculture (and of course, wine) but saddled with a water shortage.

To help the Napa winemakers and wineries worldwide oversee their crop irrigation and management, Sebastian Payen and Thibaut Scholasch, of Fruition Sciences have turned the science of hydration monitoring into an art. The business partners’ techniques come from the marriage of research and technology that they have developed over more than seven years working at prestigious universities and with premier vineyards.

Using a proprietary technology, Fruition Sciences is able to monitor real time viticulture information and deliver the statistics via a web-based application to the winemakers instantly. The ability to monitor the vineyard status in real time allows vintners to make decisions about irrigation and canopy management that can have immediate repercussions as well as a long term effect on the crop.

The team is currently working with winemakers around the world in California, France and Spain to monitor vine conditions. Implementing this technology at some of the large producers worldwide could have an interesting impact on water usage and vine care and maintenance by leaving a little less up to chance and putting a little faith in technology.

Photovoltaics, Floatovoltaics Bring Sun Power to California Vineyards

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:47:55 +0000

Here’s another reason (as if one needs a reason!) to enjoy California wines: Napa Valley wineries are adopting solar power faster than any other business sector in the state.

Among the wine-makers using solar power: Far Niente, Frog’s Leap, Fetzer, Domaine Carneros, Ridge and St. Francis, among others. According to one solar company executive, the region’s wineries are going solar 40-plus times faster than any other type of business in California.

Sonoma Eyes Wastewater as an Energy Source

The Dave Room — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:18:55 +0000

Paul Fenn of Local Power called me first thing this morning. Paul wrote California’s Community Choice Energy law (AB117) and his firm is a finalist to operate San Francisco’s Community Choice Energy program, which will build 360 MW of local renewable energy. But thats not what he called about.

Paul was excited about Sonoma County’s plan to achieve “carbon-free” water by 2015 - that is, using renewable energy sources such as solar and geothermal to power the county’s entire network of treatment plants and pumps. The plan is close to being released and today the SF Chronicle reported on one of the key initiatives to take the waste out of wastewater.

Farmers Eye Falcons as Nature’s Pest Control

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:16:06 +0000

Vintners in New Zealand are considering using falcons to control sparrows and green finches that are causing heavy damage to their crops. One agricultural expert estimates the damage caused by bird pests could total 20 million to 30 million dollars a year.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Johan Spaedtke.