Bronwyn Riddoch, Myroslava Khomik, and Richard Petrone*
*University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, N2L3G1, Canada
(rpetrone@uwaterloo.ca)

The Niagara region wine industry in Ontario, Canada, is already experiencing the effects of climate change, and more extreme weather events are expected. It is predicted that the changing climate will result in significant consequences for quality wine production. Consistent monitoring of grapes will help maximize their enological potential. However, most monitoring techniques are either destructive to the grapes or time-consuming (e.g., UAV flights). Past research on soft fruits and Chardonnay grapes suggests that the use of the visible light spectra can predict fruit/berry ripeness in a time-efficient and non-destructive manner.

PRecent advancements in compact and inexpensive technology for monitoring individual woody plant health and growth conditions, called TreeTalker, have been adapted to vines (TreeTalker Wine; TTW). This adapted technology allows continuous, real-time monitoring of grape status using spectrometry. Here, we present results from experiments that tested TTW’s ability to monitor grape veraison. We developed empirical relationships between spectral signatures measured by TTWs and berry total soluble solids (TSS) and investigated the possibility of using TTWs to predict berry TSS in situ and continuously on the vine until harvest.

Funding Support: Sources are University of Waterloo, Nature 4.0, and Ontario Grape and Wine Research Inc.