and enology programs of University of California Davis - technology and ... Anyone who has spent time in Napa Valley wil
INNOVATION IN WINEMAKING Napa Valley - constantly pushing the boundaries of wine innovation Since winemaking first began four millennia ago, the practice has been subject to constant innovation and refinement. In Napa Valley - a stone's throw from both Silicon Valley and the world-class viticulture and enology programs of University of California Davis - technology and innovation is deeply embedded in the region's DNA. Napa Valley's grape growers and winemakers are constantly pushing the boundaries of the possible, intertwining cutting edge technologies with the best of tradition to produce even more exquisite wines. Anyone who has spent time in Napa Valley will have seen the latest technologies at work, from sophisticated optical grape sorters to hidden chemistry laboratories equipped with the newest refractometers. It is a tall order to describe all of the technologies being utilized in Napa Valley, but as we continue our own journey of learning about winemaking and the fine wine market, this article focuses on four very specific innovations that are changing the way wines are made in Napa Valley and around the world. Four key technologies •
Micro-oxygenation: Invented in 1991, micro-oxygenation was made famous by the movie Mondovino featuring world-renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland who recommended the process to his most prestigious winery clients. Controlled and well-timed exposure to oxygen is a key ingredient of great winemaking, but excessive exposure leads to browning and loss of fruit flavor. Aging wine in oak barrels provides an efficient, but imperfectly controlled oxygenation process, drawing on the porous nature of the oak panels. Micro-oxygenation uses high science to facilitate very precise oxygenation. The most hardcore versions take place in highly controlled, clinical environments. Special oxygen diffusers are used to dispense regular and precise amounts of oxygen through microscopic bubbles into large steel aging tanks. The process allows even and highly monitored exposure to oxygen, with the aim of delivering aromas, textures and colors difficult to obtain with traditional aging techniques. Needless to say, micro-oxygenation is a controversial subject. Meddling with the natural course of wine's aging is not universally embraced. That said, there is no doubt that the technique has afforded winemakers a far more complete understanding of the impact of oxygen on wine.
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Concrete fermentation. During the 1960s and 1970s, when Napa Valley was hitting its stride as a winemaking region, stainless steel tanks were all the rage, taking precedence over the concrete tanks traditionally used in Europe. At that moment, stainless steel represented innovation. More recently, the industry has gone full circle and concrete fermentation is back in vogue, with concrete tanks progressively appearing at some of Napa Valley's finest wineries. The technology behind concrete engineering has progressed enormously and today's concrete tanks are highly stable and can be built to pretty much any shape and size within the United States. There are two main benefits of concrete tanks. First, being somewhat porous, unlined concrete allows a slow but steady stream of oxygen to enter during fermentation, mimicking the advantage of
porous wood over airtight stainless steel. But at the same time, concrete is entirely neutral, imparting no oak overtones on the flavor profile, thereby mimicking the advantage of steel over wood. Second, the sheer mass of concrete containers, with walls 4-inches or more thick, provides valuable thermal inertia, moderating temperature changes and preventing sudden heat spikes, which is gentler on the wine. •
Micro water monitoring. Just as oxygen is vital to wine during the fermentation and aging process, water is key during the grape growing process. One of the most significant recent technologies in winemaking has been the introduction of highly sophisticated micro water monitoring systems. Fruition Sciences, a French/American viticulture technology firm, has developed a technology used by many of Napa Valley's top wineries that literally "listens” to the vine’s water needs via sap flow monitoring. As a result, grape growers can control watering on a near vine-by-vine basis. Amongst other things, this new technology has taught grape growers that vines typically require much less water than previously thought. Grape growers now water less before the onset of ripening, and more afterwards, generating more concentrated and colorful fruits, as well as lowering water consumption - a boon in Napa Valley where water is in increasingly short supply.
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Biodynamic viticulture. Founded in 1924 by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic agriculture lies at the intersection of tradition and modernity. In broad terms, it is a grand extension of organic farming (which itself relies on natural fertilizers and pesticides) to create an environment of ecological self-sufficiency. In Napa Valley, some high profile growers have converted to biodynamic practices, developing healthy and balanced soils via natural methods such as compost preparations and herbal infusions of crops, as well as holistically maintaining the overall vineyard biosphere, by controlling pests via the right bird and bat colonies, for example. Biodynamic viticulture also allows vines to develop stronger immunity to pathogens and attacks by pests, known as "systemic acquired resistance", although this is true of organic farming in general. Still in its infancy and regarded as quirky by many, biodynamic viticulture is evolving rapidly. Advocates argue that it creates stronger, more vibrant wines and a clearer expression of terroir.
Each of these evolutions has a common goal - to gain more control over nature's many whims. It is no surprise that the innovators for which Napa Valley is famous are at the forefront of many of these new technologies.
