Scientists Turn Water into Wine (Even in a Drought)

June 28th, 2008 by Courtney Carlisle Bolton

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.

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Tags: california agriculture, drought, fruition sciences, napa valley, vineyards, vinoculture, water monitoring, water shortage, wine, wineries

About the Author

Courtney Carlisle Bolton When she isn't writing or in the library, this tech savvy ecophile can usually be found glued to her mobile or macbook ogling the latest gadgets, scouting the newest designs, traveling or out enjoying the Colorado terrain. Courtney holds two masters degrees in Psychology and Communications and received her BA from Vanderbilt University in Psychology and English. She recently relocated from Los Angeles to Denver, CO where she is pursuing her PhD in Family and Child Psychology.

JImmy james

Fascinating! I thought only Jesus could do that!

http://www.FireMe.to/udi
JImmy james

Fascinating! I thought only Jesus could do that!

http://www.FireMe.to/udi
http://redgreenandblue.org Rod Adams

Courtney:

Unfortunately, excellent weather for growing crops and a shortage of natural water are frequently features of the same geographical area.

Many fruits and vegetables require reliable water and a large quantity of sun for high quality production. That is why mankind has been working on irrigation systems for thousands of years.

California is luckier than many places – it has reasonably close access to a source of water that is essentially unlimited in any human sense.

Unfortunately, that body of water – the Pacific Ocean – contains a substance called Sodium Chloride that kills plants and animals.

Fortunately, there are many known ways to separate H2O from NaCl; all those methods, however, require a lot of reliable, emission free, low cost energy.
http://redgreenandblue.org Rod Adams

Courtney:

Unfortunately, excellent weather for growing crops and a shortage of natural water are frequently features of the same geographical area.

Many fruits and vegetables require reliable water and a large quantity of sun for high quality production. That is why mankind has been working on irrigation systems for thousands of years.

California is luckier than many places – it has reasonably close access to a source of water that is essentially unlimited in any human sense.

Unfortunately, that body of water – the Pacific Ocean – contains a substance called Sodium Chloride that kills plants and animals.

Fortunately, there are many known ways to separate H2O from NaCl; all those methods, however, require a lot of reliable, emission free, low cost energy.