Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/369547
1 0 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | S e p t - O c t 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m EDITOR'S DESK es, excitement is steadily building about their vineyard-monitoring potential. But is it even legal for businesses to use drones? Our story on page 40 outlines the promise and pitfalls of unmanned aerial vehicles. For those working in the cellar, our story on page 48 chronicles the work of Slovenian biochemists who have devel- oped a technique for riddling sparkling wines that represents the first remuage innovation since the gyropalette was introduced in the 1970s. While the gyro- palette reduced the time required to turn bottles from six weeks to one, this new technique uses magnetic nanopar- ticles and a magnet to riddle a bottle in just 15 minutes. Even advertising has become a high- tech endeavor. As Tyler Balliet of Sec- ond Glass explains in his article about paid Facebook advertising (page 80), wineries can now target individuals based on age, gender, geography and interests. Companies can even target people who "like" their competitors' pages. Technology is also becoming part of the tasting room experience – and not only in POS systems. Elizabeth Slater's column on page 20 tells how Wente Vineyards is using iPads to educate and engage its visitors. For tech fans, the wine industry's future has never looked more exciting. Salute! People in the tech community often say – and not completely unjustly – that the wine industry is pitifully slow to embrace new technology. While com- panies in other industries trumpet their use of high-tech tools and state-of-the- art techniques, wineries and vineyards brag about how they're doing things the same way their great-grandfathers did, before there was electricity. That may sound romantic to con- sumers' ears, but the reality at most wineries is quite a bit different. What winemaker doesn't get excited about getting a new press, or tractor, or tank-controlling system? Who doesn't geek out over the latest lab equipment that can process samples in record time? These may not be the features wineries and grow- ers tout to their customers – "The grapes practically make themselves into wine, right in the vineyards!" – but they generate plenty of excitement internally. Far from detracting from the "natural" process of making wine, tech tools can give vintners more control in the cellar, free up time normally spent in the lab for vineyard activities, and help them do a better job of marketing the finished product. In this issue, we highlight some of the many ways that vintners and grape- growers are exploring and embrac- ing technology, and the efforts that researchers and entrepreneurs are making to pave the way to the future. It would be difficult to find a tech topic that's creating more industry buzz today than drones. Because drones are affordable, easy to use and have the ability to capture a variety of aerial imag- Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. 'Geeking Out'on Tech TINA CAPUTO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF