Key Takeaways<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The conditions that propelled the 2011 Dow\u2019s Vintage Port to be named Wine Spectator<\/em>\u2019s 2014 Wine of the Year are well documented but difficult to duplicate. That\u2019s why the phrase \u201cit was a good year\u201d resonates so strongly with winemakers and wine enthusiasts everywhere.<\/p>\r\n According to Pedro Leal da Costa, head of viticulture at Symington Family Estates, the rain came at the right time, the temperature and humidity fluctuations were perfect, and the ripening pace was ideal.<\/p>\r\n Symington Family Estates produces some of the top port wines of the world, in the Douro River Valley in Portugal, for brands that include Graham's, Dow's, Warre's, Cockburn's, Quinta do Vesuvio, and Prats + Symington. While the company can\u2019t control the weather\u2014especially now with the more extreme conditions brought on by climate change\u2014it can refine its processes. \u201cWe\u2019re always looking for the top science in agriculture to produce a better product,\u201d Leal da Costa said.<\/p>\r\n Symington\u2019s winemakers record the changing conditions and the corresponding health of the grapes and soil by using an enterprise geographic information system (GIS). It allows them to track the variables for each of the family\u2019s 27 estates.<\/p>\r\n The health and ripeness of every bunch of 53 different varieties of grapes of the Grape Library project managed by the R&D team (see sidebar), along with the maturation network, get tracked in GIS. The data is used to create maps that guide field crews across each winery.<\/p>\r\n GIS also helps determine timing, which Leal da Costa calls its superpower.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":651512,"text":"We have to wait for the grapes, to know when to stop, when to advance, and when to harvest.","author_name":"Head of Viticulture at Symington Family Estates","author_profession_organization":"Pedro Leal da Costa"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Leal da Costa often sends pickers to the same vines many times to ensure that only the ripest grapes are harvested. Grapes are monitored, sampled, tasted, and chemically analyzed to determine the right timing.<\/p>\r\n \u201cWe have a map of the phenological stages of the grapes,\u201d Leal da Costa said, referring to the seasonal biological events that are influenced by climatic factors. The mapping includes close-up photos of grape clusters and high-resolution aerial imagery for both the micro scale of each vine and the macro scale of each winery. Analysis of the samples and images of the size and color of the grapes helps determine where the best quality grapes are at that moment.<\/p>\r\n \u201cHarvest time is the most important time of the year for our use of GIS,\u201d Leal da Costa said. \u201cWe look at the results from all parcels in real time, recording all the grapes as they are gathered.\u201d<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[651602,651492,651582,651482,651552]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Every Monday throughout the year, Leal da Costa examines the data with Fernando Alves, Symington's research and development viticulture Head of Department, and all team technicians. They look across the operation at the timing and amount of applied fertilizer and pest treatments, the weather, and the work being done.<\/p>\r\n The data is visualized and pored over to map problems and solutions and adjust for efficiency and profit. If results indicate that a specific treatment worked well, it gets repeated across vineyards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n The Symington family has a long-term view of investments in its vineyards. Every plant matures for six years before it reaches full production. That\u2019s a long view for most agricultural operations, but not a long time for the family business, which extends back five generations. \u201cIt\u2019s a very slow business,\u201d Leal da Costa said. \u201cThis is not for people who want to make money quickly.\u201d<\/p>\r\n Symington prides itself on constant improvements and staying at the forefront of the port and winery business. A data-driven approach has been applied for decades to monitor each estate as well as to keep track of grape maturity.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","content":" Through GIS, viticulturists manage the health of the soil, ensuring its fertility for future crops. GIS also helps them to implement strategies aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change on their vineyards.<\/p>\r\n Soil health is of particular importance in this rocky region. \"We have to improve the quality of soil, breaking down our soft stone soil to construct new soil that\u2019s better and deeper,\" Leal da Costa said. The attention to soil is another long process of care and correction. The rocky schist soils of the Douro River Valley have low levels of organic matter and are too acidic. Using GIS to analyze the different parameters affecting soils, vintners can make informed decisions on how to improve and maintain the quality. \u201cWe have to introduce calcium to up the pH of soils closer to 6.3 when they naturally are at 4.8. It's not easy, but it works,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \u201cYou can make good wine or bad wine with good grapes,\u201d Leal da Costa likes to say, \u201cbut you can\u2019t make good wine with bad grapes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n His background in soil fertility and plant nutrition includes work with a lab located in Fort Wayne, Indiana that prides itself on having scientists who don\u2019t mind getting dirty. He would send soil samples from Spain and Portugal and get results that improved production quality. \u201cIt was quite a revolution because we didn\u2019t sell fertilizers, we sold ideas,\u201d Leal da Costa said.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[651562,651572,651542,651502]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" In this work, he helped farmers growing grapes, olives, and other produce. His passion for viticulture, and the geographic approach, led him to Symington. There he has concentrated on improving the fertility of the soil with a focus on quality grapes rather than abundance.<\/p>\r\n \u201cA big amount does not produce the best results,\u201d Leal da Costa said. \u201cYou make the most money when you have perfect grapes, and you produce the best wine.\u201d<\/p>\r\n To make the grapes better, detailed management plans are adapted to each location. Approaches differ for sites that are too humid or too dry, and for different soil profiles. The maps inform the field work.<\/p>\r\n \u201cWe know what to do in each place and more or less when,\u201d Leal da Costa said. \u201cWe have all the information, and we know the results and where we are spending our time.\u201d<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Center","content":" With five generations of port making in Portugal, Symington Family Estates has a strong commitment to the uniqueness of the growing conditions and the grapes that make port wine.<\/p>\r\n The company set aside a vineyard in 1997 for research to dive more deeply into the science and to experiment with planting and identifying the best varieties to use for each of its 27 vineyards. Since then, two more research sites have been planted at different altitudes to account for all of the conditions in the Douro River Valley.<\/p>\r\n The vineyards contain 53 grape varieties (29 red and 24 white), with careful attention paid to providing equal conditions for all grapes to conduct meaningful comparisons with the help of researchers from various universities. The aim is to understand how varieties tolerate heat and drought to safeguard and preserve Portuguese grape varieties from the pressures of climate change.<\/p>\r\n The data gathered from each vine is carefully mapped to conditions with an eye toward future conditions to make sure port wines continue.<\/p>\r\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just for us,\u201d said Pedro Leal da Costa, head of viticulture at Symington. \u201cIt\u2019s for the region.\u201d<\/p>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Maps aid the connection between viticulture, the cultivation of the grapes, and enology, the winemaking. The common language involves the micro terroir<\/em> of each vineyard, which relates the influence of altitude, temperature, and proximity to the river in the taste of the grapes. The level of detail and precision of this knowledge improves the quality of the grapes and determines the right mix of grapes in each wine.<\/p>\r\n \u201cWe are always talking between the winery and the fields with maps,\u201d Leal da Costa said. The maps go to field managers to show exactly where to harvest. Changes to the map inform every one of the work ahead and keep them centered on quality.<\/p>\r\nQuality Hinges on the Harvest<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
The Foundations of Sustainability<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
The Symington Philosophy<\/a>: We believe that farming our own vineyards\u2014understanding the terroir and the impact of each year's conditions on the grapes\u2014is a critical ingredient in the production of great wines and ports.<\/h2>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" \r\n
Decades of Data-Driven Improvements<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
Developing Research Wineries and a Library of Resilient Grape Varieties<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
Adapting to the Location and Conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n