(NVR) - Modern winemakers have a vast array of new tools to help improve wine quality at nearly every level, from optimizing grapevine hydration to mechanical harvesters and DNA fingerprinting. More than ever, winemakers must be a blend of artist, farmer, scientist and computer geek to keep up with the latest technologies.

“Producing the highest quality wine starts with healthy grapes,” said Garrett Buckland, a winemaker and partner at Premiere Viticultural Services in Napa. “But today, there are lots of tools out there that can help in the process. In our company we deploy a whole range of options to assist our clients in their decision-making.”

Buckland and his family have been growing grapes for generations, and his reputation in the Napa Valley is for being at the leading edge of innovative approaches to growing grapes and winemaking. One of the technologies they use is sap-flow sensors developed by a technology startup called Fruition Science.

“Wine used to be made mostly in the cellar,” said Thibaut Scholasch, the co-founder of Fruition. “But more and more, technology is helping vintners take a plant-based approach to winemaking.”

Scholasch grew up in France but moved to the United States in the late 1990s and began working for Mondavi.

“I’m a winemaker and have a Ph.D. in plant physiology,” he said. “When I got to Mondavi, I first started working in the cellar, but soon I was out in the vineyards helping to improve farming practices. I realized there was a need for real-time data in viticulture and so we started our company.”