[ACCESSWIRE]

When Cutting Edge Innovation Meets the Art of Wine-Making, the Industry Is Forever Changed

NAPA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 2, 2015 / After Four Seasons Magazine named Palmaz Vineyards one the Napa Valley’s Best Wineries, the winemaker has launched their newest project: a brand-new websitefeaturing state-of-the-art backend coding and a mobile-friendly interface.

“We thought our new site should match the meticulous care we put into harvesting our grapes. We want visitors to experience the winery through the web from the comfort of home,” explained Christian Gastón Palmaz, President Palmaz Vineyards.

Knowing the Palmaz family’s passion for intricate-connectedness for every facet of their winery, it’s no surprise that the website boasts one-of-a-kind technology as well. Featuring what Christian Palmaz speaks of as, “blend maps,” the new site features technology that tracks accuracy to the milliliter in the blending process for each Cabernet Sauvignon, which is then tracked to each parcel in the vineyard. In short form: The website updates the internal team and visitors about each barrel’s position in the harvesting and fermentation process and allows for a truly interactive experience with mapping, tasting notes and more.

“A very accurate composite image is created from the data allowing our consumers to understand our blends- in other words, to blend visually,” said Palmaz. “This allows visitors and tasters to understand how the wine was sourced in any given year, taking weather and other factors into consideration.”

FILCS is really the next generation/evolution of Christian Palmaz’s original AFCS (Algorithmic Fermentation Control System) that he started developing in 2003. The system has the capability to automatically make last-minute and constant changes in temperature to keep the fermentation on “schedule” while freeing up the winemaker to spend more time tasting and thoughtfully cultivating new batches.

The best part is that FILCS continues to get smarter as it learns from more fermentations and the winemaking process. Its error prediction protocol allows it to see and predict deficiencies before they have time to affect the fermentation. In the end, this technology allows the artistic element to be increased by allowing the wine maker to spend more time focused on the wine.

“What makes a great wine is when you’re there to witness something great happening in the tank and you know how to change the course of the fermentation to take advantage of it.,” added Palmaz.

Cited by Apple as one of the world’s most technologically advanced vineyards, the website’s newest launch features a complete anthology of tasting notes, exclusive “blend maps,” and specially-coded tracking elements to invite any level of wine-enthusiast to learn more about Palmaz and its wines.

“What we built originally to be an accountability tool has become the means for anyone–wine aficionados, wine professionals and the trade–to understand exactly how a given bottle came together, along with the weather, overall conditions and other intangible factors the year it was produced. Any wine enthusiast who enjoys the technological side of the process will also like the site’s forthcoming videos; in addition to a blog that will feature news, updates, Q&As, commentary and all manner of wine insight,” says Palmaz.

When designing the winery, the Palmaz family committed to a “zero pump” philosophy, designing a cave system high enough for the wine’s own weight to direct it downward through filtering and bottling. The result is an engineering marvel of the wine world. In website discussions, the Palmaz family wanted equal importance placed on the technology of the website and the capability to bring the grape, bottle and any individual- across the distance to learn. The new Harvest Tracker just launched for 2015, is an example of this. Here visitors to the web can track grapes from when they are picked through fermentation and get to know what’s in the bottle before it’s on the shelf.