Brown Family Wine Group used Green Brain during the 2019 vintage to optimise profitability for their Tamar Ridge vineyards. Located in the Tamar Valley of Tasmania, the Tamar Ridge vineyards' 133 hectares produce premium Pinot Noir.
Profitability is limited by variability in the vineyard's vigour and yield. This is partly because undulating hills in the region provide different soils, slopes, aspects and microclimates.
Spatial Imaging
Green Brain's spatial imagery was used during the 2018-19 season to identify areas of variability within the Tamar Ridge vineyards. The imagery highlighted areas of high and low vigour, providing additional insight and confirming what was observed on the ground. Access to Green Brain's information helped make strategic management decisions easier and more informed.
Effective Resource Deployment
Green Brain was also instrumental in highlighting irregularities within the vineyard — helping direct staff to check irrigation systems within the variable blocks for pressure and blocked drippers. Adopting targeted application and precision viticulture techniques, composted grape marc was spread under low vigour vine to improve growth and yield for the following vintage.
Green Brain's imagery also demonstrated the effect that a row of trees was having on vine vigour — with up to 5 rows affected in each 20-row vineyard block. The trees were initially planted between the vineyard blocks to provide a windbreak. As 20% of the vineyard block was affected by the tree line and road, tree removal was necessary to improve yield in these areas.
With the ability to look at historical imagery, and multiple images through the one season, we can really focus on identifying block variability, eliminating this variability, improving vigour and improving fruit production in these blocks with minimal costs to the end user.
Ben Peitsch - Viticulturist Tasmania, Brown Family Wine Group
Improve Yield, Increase Returns
Green Brain helped the Brown Family Wine Group to identify and reduce variability within their Tamar Ridge vineyards, as well as informing strategic management decisions and optimal resource deployment.
Green Brain is an ideal tool for monitoring variations in crop health, and providing feedback on the implementation of management changes, to make better decisions throughout the growing season.
GAIA has been really useful in identifying different vigour areas in the vineyard. We have 133 hectares so being able to micromanage those zones, understand what is affecting these areas, and how to overcome it, is crucial. GAIA has been instrumental in helping us make strategic decisions to manage our premium Pinot Noir.
Ben Peitsch - Viticulturist Tasmania, Brown Family Wine Group