Napa, Calif.—Bank of the West and Fruition Sciences recognized the winner of the second annual Vintage Report Innovation Award Presented by Bank of the West. The award recognizes innovation and sustainability in viticulture. This year’s winner was a collaborative experiment by E. & J. Gallo Winery and IBM to apply a variable-rate irrigation system across separate quadrants of a 31-acre Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. The result decreased vineyard spatial variability and increased water-use efficiency without compromising quality during a period of historic drought. 

The two other finalists for the award were University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Monica Cooper for her collaborative project with Matthew and Melissa Staid on new approaches to monitoring and managing Grapevine Leafroll Disease and Ridge Vineyard winery for its comparative research on two rootstocks from the same ranch. All three finalists were honored at Fruition Sciences' Vintage Report Conference held Jan. 20 in Napa.