Digital Assistants in the Vineyard

Why we rely on sensors today

No two years are alike. Nature follows its own rules, the climate is becoming increasingly extreme – and yet we want to understand, accompany, and promote our vines. To meet this demand, we rely on digital support: weather stations, as well as leaf and soil sensors, help us to work even more precisely and sustainably.

The main goal is to better recognize connections and make informed decisions. The weather data collected over the years is a valuable treasure. In combination with current measurements directly from the vineyard – right where the vines actually stand – a much clearer picture emerges. For example, a sensor might show that it rained in one section, while it remained dry only 200 meters away. Such differences seem small but can have major consequences – for example, on leaf wetness and thus on the risk of infection.

Leaf wetness is one of the crucial factors in plant protection. Because not only the temperature but also the duration of moisture on the leaf determines whether fungal diseases can develop. A sensor that simulates a vine leaf measures this moisture precisely – and allows us to act more targeted: only when it is really necessary. This conserves resources, the environment, and the vine.

The soil also remains in focus. Sensors show us how moist or warm it is in the root area. Especially in dry years, this is an enormous advantage – be it for targeted irrigation control or to better understand how our vines cope with the conditions. So it's not just about numbers, but about context, development, and understanding.

In the long term, this data opens up new perspectives: We can track how individual plots develop, how extreme weather affects certain locations, how differently vines react to the same conditions. The goal remains the same: to better understand the vine. Because the more we know, the more sustainably we can work.

For us, digitalization is not an end in itself, but a tool – one that helps us meet nature at eye level. And that is exactly what drives us: to produce wines that are an expression of their origin – with care, knowledge, and confidence in the right decision at the right time.

TO THE VIDEO