Space Age Winemaking Technology from NASA

Vineyard managers are gaining new insights by using NASA techniques to schedule harvests, choose the best areas to plant vineyards, choose the best vines and even to protect them from pests.

Large wine companies like E&J Gallo and Mondavi are using NASA-based technology to design their fields to cultivate the perfect wine grape for the area. A project known as VINTAGE (Viticultural Integration of NASA Technologies for Assessment of the Grapevine Environment) is using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) for crop management.

Vineyard managers are also responsible for determining the perfect time to pick grapes. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, along with the Maryland-based Brimrose company, developed a device that uses spectrometry for testing the grape for harvesting. A spectrometer was used in deep space to separate the colors of light given off by an object.

To learn more about how America's wine industry has benefited from NASA technology, see the full article: Getting spacey for winemaking - Science Blog