In March 2020, Kajani started reworking her operations, hosting virtual tastings, keeping in contact with members of the vineyard’s wine club, and meeting with distribution partners using a Cisco videoconferencing platform.
Mixing technology with traditional winemaking was commercially successful and popular with Bouchaine’s customers. For Kajani and Cisco, it was a sign that they could do more — specifically in the vineyard.
Over the past few years, extreme weather events and unpredictable conditions have affected grape harvests, and consumer demand for wine is down. Vintners are seeking solutions and finding some success in technologies designed to reinvigorate the production process.
Technology is increasingly important in viticulture
In 2021, Bouchaine Vineyards expanded its partnership with Cisco and installed Cisco’s industrial Internet of Things, or IoT, sensors across the vineyard. The sensors allow Bouchaine’s winemakers to visualize data about temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and wind speed. Sensors inside fermentation tanks can help detect leaks, monitor the fermentation process, and show temperature trends.
Kajani told Business Insider that tracking this data allowed winemakers to “dial in” to different parts of their vineyard and address vine blocks individually. Though winery employees do the cultivation work, like pruning or leafing, by hand, data helps them know which blocks need special attention.
SOURCE: BUSINESSINSIDER.COM
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