Vineyard Management Software Article Now Out in April Issue of Wine Business Monthly | What Experts Have to Say About the Current Landscape

It wasn't easy writing an article on vineyard management software but it was extremely educational and illuminating. Many thanks to the 20+ interviewees, including 12 vendor, who contributed to my learning curve and the article and who hopefully will contribute to your learning curve, too. 

You can read the article in the April issue here. 

https://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/?go=getDigitalIssue&issueId=14399&fbclid=IwAR3DY7I0ibHv8Pq3otiiG3Nm1SMUUZdZ8r_geQlqQ1s2Lv_ZMz7zm9bkgmc

One of my favorite quotes came from Vintel CEO Eric Jallas, who lives both in California and France. 

"The expertise of the farmer, who is doing his best today, is based on his experience in a climate that does not exist any more. He's totally lost with that. 

"He is also challenged by the economics on the changing price of fertilizer. When the fertilizer prices double or triple, it is not the same game at all. The predictive model - a tool which is based on a virtual reality twin - is in fact the technology of tomorrow." 

That speaks to the heart of the current challenges the wine industry - and indeed, all agriculture - is facing.  

Thanks to these interviewees who are also quoted in the article.

• Niki Wente, director of vineyard operations at Wente Vineyards

• Luca Brillante, assistant professor of viticulture at Fresno State University

The magazine also features a Q and A with Mason Earles of U.C. Davis, who studies solutions to the challenges agtech faces at the Plant AI and Biophysics Lab at U.C. Davis.

(And a special thanks to Eric Pooler whose input I also received.) 

Vendors Quoted

• AgCode CEO Lance Donney

• Vintel CEO Eric Jallas

Representatives from Blue Circle AI, eVineyard, Farm Q and A, Process2Wine, Sure Harvest, Terraview OS, Tiger Jill, Trellis, VineInfo, and Monarch/Windspan AI were also helpful in providing in depth product information.

For me, as a veteran of Silicon Valley tech marketing and a front row participant and observer of tech history, surveying the landscape of this software category was a wakeup call to the fact that agtech is very far beyond other sectors, but that an increasing investment by venture capitalists and government is attempting to pivot to the future. It's also fascinating to see the sector on the verge of takeoff. Will we get an "Apple version" of easy to use vineyard software? 

Just like artificial intelligence, the world of precision agriculture has a long way to go to fulfill its potential, but if successfully deployed, it could reduce or eliminate the use of dangerous pesticides and be an accelerant for organic ag's growth.