On the Veraison: Precision Monitoring for Wine Grapes

Wine grapes are one of the most carefully managed crops in the world, so they made the perfect starting point for Pollen Systems when we started flying in 2018. From the beginning, we have sought to help vineyard managers and winemakers obtain the data they need to cultivate high-quality grapes, leveraging the power of drones, fixed-wing aircraft, and the PrecisionView™ Manager system.

We approach each site with a standard vineyard monitoring plan, tailoring it to suit the grower’s needs. In the pre-season, we image the earliest shoot growth as a reference for upcoming canopy development and overlay field data like topography, soils, and moisture sensors. From here, regular flights starting at ¾ canopy allow us to monitor growth and uniformity.

In the summer, our focus shifts towards specific events. We observe plant vigor data trends early to help target the annual irrigation shutoff, capture the annual minimum vigor point in mid-summer to facilitate seasonal comparisons, and fly dedicated diagnostic flights mid- to late summer to scout for issues like heat stress and phylloxera. As autumn progresses, we scout for late-season diseases like red blotch and transition towards harvest aid efforts.

Ultimately, the vineyard receives imagery, statistics, written reports, and regular calls with an agricultural technologist to convert the data into actionable insight. PrecisionView™ Manager then allows the grower to view and collect more vineyard data in the field or the office. If this sounds interesting to you, please reach out to us at info@pollensystems.com. We are proud to keep learning and growing with the wine industry, and look forward to continuing our journey with you!