The objective of the VINTAGE project is to offer the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) Associations the first integrated management solution for supporting vine growers throughout vineyard life cycle, from planting to harvesting, aiming at addressing quality and production variability issues by means of an advanced Decision Support System (DSS). This DSS will be based on the output of well established and consolidated models applied to viticulture, and will assist the users in day to day management procedures, thanks to a user friendly web interface, assessing for instance the unique watering needs of each single parcel, controlling the growth phase of the grape, along with its vigour and maturity, optimizing at the same time the usage of fertilizers and parasiticides and limiting operators intervention on the soil and on the plant. With the application of information technologies it will be possible to fine tune wine production within the vineyard, maximising the oenological potential of the vineyards, and providing the vine-growers with the following, continuously up to date information: 1) Indication on the type of grape to be grown in the vineyard, being able to differentiate the production in case several zones of the vineyard present different agronomical features; 2) Indication of the ripeness of the grapes; 3) Real time indication, through micro-meteorological stations, of the soil properties, weather forecasts, and other parameters (fertilizing, irrigation, etc.) that can influence both yield but most importantly quality of the harvesting; 4) Indication of soil variability, which is one of the key factors that can affect vine growth fruit development, quality and yield; 5) indications of the zone at risk of fungi or parasites attack; 6) understanding and managing the dynamics of soil, water and phenological stages.
