Situation
- A renowned quality-driven winery in California designated $85 per acre to sample
grapes over the course of the season, supporting their attempt to better control
quality and yield for their premium wine programs. - The declining sales of the winery’s premium wine programs could no longer justify
the costly investment in the vineyard. - The client was interested in significantly lowering their viticulture operation costs,
while still maintaining the same level of control and precision in tracking the vineyards’
development.
Solution
- The client joined the Trellis platform and integrated 330 of their high-quality blocks
in three different California appellations. - Utilizing the Trellis AI-powered Ripening Models that predict the current and
projected ripening status on the block-level based on climate conditions, the client
observed phenology, sugar and acidity predictions for each of their blocks, updating
in real-time throughout the season.
Result
- In general, the 2018 vintage ripened at a slow and steady pace, nearly a month
longer than in 2017. In previous years this would have required much more intensive
and extensive sampling, increasing the viticulture operation cost per acre by 20%. - However, the Trellis platform enabled the winery to confidently minimize vineyard
sampling by more than 30% saving them more than $85,000 in viticulture costs.