Enterprise Vineyards: Tracking regenerative progress across multiple vineyard sites

• Bridging the gap between data and context.
  A soil moisture probe might indicate a specific block is oversaturated. A purely data-driven response would be to cut irrigation. However, a consultant with site-specific history, what Mireia calls the ‘widest part of the context’, might know that the probe is located where an old oak tree was removed a decade ago, creating a unique pocket of soil density. At Enterprise Vineyards, data is used to spark conversations with the field crew, not to replace observation. By presenting data to experienced staff, Enterprise can validate technical readings against the site’s historical reality. This communication is vital when managing diverse client portfolios.

• Embrace systems thinking.
  Mireia emphasizes that for a consultant, a single visual indicator can be misleading without a systems-thinking approach. When a scout sees red leaves, the instinct is to test for virus or nutritional deficiency. However, Enterprise Vineyards trains their team to look at the environment first. Is this a windy site? In some blocks, wind can cause mechanical damage to the shoots, leading to ‘red leaves’ that have nothing to do with disease. By evaluating the wider context, they avoid recommending expensive and unnecessary interventions to their clients.

• Be patient.
  Different vineyards will take different lengths of time to recover and regenerate; for a vineyard that has been farmed conventionally with lots of artificial inputs, it could be 3 years before anything is able to grow in these soils – but this doesn’t mean you are on the wrong path! Ultimately, Mireia affirms that you can recover any vineyard, but allow time for the ecosystem to rebalance itself. 
  

Top Tip: Connecting with the local community around a vineyard can be a really helpful tool for vineyard management; you get to see sites around you and combine knowledge of local soil and biodiversity. Building this network of knowledge, and sharing your own challenges and successes as a vineyard, can be fundamental to mutual regeneration. 

• Phenological data.
  The Enterprise team measure bud break, flowering, veraison, and harvest. This phenological data helps them to understand how long it will take for the grapes to ripen this year, based on historical data from previous years. These dates also show how productive the vineyard is this year compared to other years. Learn how the Sectormentor Phenology Report can provide this framework for you.

• Pruning weights.
  Enterprise like to track how much biomass the vines are producing and compare it to previous years; this gives the team insight into how healthy and productive the vines are and how much water the vines will need in the following year. Tracking pruning weights over time also highlights trends in vigour, enabling the team to take action if vigour is declining. Explore how Sectormentor’s Vine Health Indicator uses pruning weights to visualise vine health across blocks.

• Soil moisture and temperature probes.
  The team monitors soil temperature, particularly at the beginning of the year, to estimate when the vines are beginning to wake up. They try to push pruning as far back as possible to reduce the risk of a frost hindering vine growth. If they are seeing that the soils are starting to warm up, they know they need to get on with the pruning process, before the plant wakes up.

• Weather stations.
  Enterprise have weather stations in almost every vineyard, and they use them constantly for tracking humidity and temperature. They use this data to keep an eye on pest pressure, especially powdery mildew, and to determine when to prune (by looking at when other heat or frost events occurred).

• Soil health metrics.
  The Enterprise team use earthworm counts to track how well the soil system is functioning; the higher the earthworm count, the better! They also track % of soil organic matter (SOM) on their sites, another great indicator of soil health. To track the benefits of their different cover cropping mixes specifically, the team routinely check rooting depth, rhizosheath coverage, and nodulation of legumes (and colour of nodules) block by block. If you are looking to start tracking soil health metrics, Sectormentor’s Regen Indicators can provide an intuitive framework for your vineyard team!