168 “We have to wait for the grapes, to know when to stop, when to advance, and when to harvest.” — Pedro Leal da Costa, head of viticulture, Symington Family Estates Quality Hinges on the Harvest 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. “We have a map of the phenological stages of the grapes,” Leal da Costa said, referring to the seasonal biological events that are influenced by weather 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. “Harvest time is the most important time of the year for our use of GIS,” Leal da Costa said. “We look at the results from all parcels in real time, recording all the grapes as they are gathered.” 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. 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. The Foundations of Resilience 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’s a long view for most agricultural operations, but not a long time for the family business, which extends back five generations. “It’s a very slow business,” Leal da Costa said. “This is not for people who want to make money quickly.” The steep Douro River Valley contains all 27 port wineries owned by the Symington family, which is now managed by its fifth generation.
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