French wine makers look to the skies for help

By Jessica Mead

PARIS (Reuters Life!) - French vinters are turning to outer space to outwit foreign rivals, with new satellite technology giving an overview of vineyards' physical characteristics and potential.

The satellite images, produced by French wine consultancy body ICV and geo-information provider Infoterra, give growers information on water stress and grape composition amongst others, allowing better management of the vinification.

The technology, called Oenoview, is a combination of aerial photographs and satellite imagery in the near-infrared, which provides growers and buyers with a complete picture of the vines' vigor and the plot's 'terroir' before the harvest.

Oenoview is based on an existing service for agriculture, but because of the smaller size of the plots a higher resolution was needed, Infoterra's Innovation Manager Herve Poilve said.

"It allows the growers to visualize the observed variability of the vine at the level of the vineyard said Bruno Tisseyre, a lecturer at the Institute for Agronomic Research.

Vines' variability can be affected by a number of factors, including soil water levels and mineral deficiencies.

"For the co-operative caves who buy the grapes they can know the potential quality and quantity of wine very early -- six weeks before the harvest," Jacques Rousseau, head of ICV's Vines and Wines Department told Reuters.

Oenoview not only allows growers to better estimate the potential value of their plot but also lets them sort the grapes by quality. By putting similar grapes together, producers can reduce the risk of making low quality of wine.