Lumo’s hitting the road this season with our Path to Precision Tailgate Tour. There's simply no substitute for seeing a technology working in a commercial setting that’s similar to yours. You can read about a product. Watch a video. Take a sales call and ask all the right questions. But there's a moment that happens in the field–watching a valve open and close, seeing water start dripping, watching the flow rate spike on the screen in real time–that no amount of marketing can replicate. That moment is where real conviction gets built. Agriculture is physical work. At the end of the day there's a tangible output you can hold in your hands. It makes sense, then, that the physical experience of a product in the field is what carries the most weight. You trust what you’ve seen work. That's exactly what our tailgates are all about. Come see the system installed and running at a commercial operation. Talk to the growers and farmworkers who use it every day. Ask the hard questio

Alexander Valley, CA — April 2026 — This April, Alexander Valley Winegrowers invite wine lovers—both new and experienced—to slow down, sip freely, and reconnect with the heart of wine country during TASTE Alexander Valley: Back to Our Roots, a month-long celebration of wine, hospitality, and genuine connection.  Running throughout the entire month of April, TASTE Alexander Valley offers a rare opportunity to experience the region without the usual barriers of tasting fees. Participating wineries will provide complimentary tastings, welcoming guests to explore at their own pace while engaging directly with the growers, winemakers, and owners who define Alexander Valley.  “TASTE Alexander Valley is about removing the barriers that often keep people from exploring wine,” said Jessie Vallery, Executive Director of Alexander Valley Winegrowers. “Whether you’re just starting to learn about wine, or you love tasting but are tired

Domaine Della 2023 Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Takes Top Prize  November 18, 2025 — Winners have been announced in the 2025 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging, Domaine Della 2023 Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir took the top prize. It was also awarded Best of Show Red Wine and Best of Monterey County AVA. Coming in at 98 points, judges praised the wine as “warm and spicy” with “fig and nutmeg.” Other descriptors included “meaty,” “prosciutto,” and “dried rose petal.”  With entries from across the globe, the Harvest Challenge bases judging on a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions and grapes that combine to give personality to the wine.  In other competitions, this terroir is ignored. At the Harvest Challen

“Lumo has been the linchpin in the re-engineering of our approach to water management.”  Michael and Kara Busselen, the Owners of Woodhawk Vineyards, farm 21 acres of world-class Cabernet Sauvignon for Silver Oak, situated 1,000 feet above sea level, overlooking the Alexander Valley and Russian River at the northern end of Sonoma County. They're also starting to make some of their own high-end Cabernet. Michael and Kara in the vineyard. Over the past couple years, they’ve evolved their irrigation strategy in collaboration with Fruition Sciences and Redwood Empire Vineyard Management, supported by data from a sap flow monitor they have installed in one of their blocks.  The big shift in practice has been getting away from running relatively frequent, short-duration sets and moving toward running longer-duration irrigations less often. “Far fewer but far more strategic,” with the aim of improving the root architecture

“We successfully automated almost every irrigation set last season,” said Andrew Oliver, Vineyard Manager at Antinori. “Lumo’s pump automation is an absolute game changer for our team,” agreed Hunter Emch, Northern Unit Area Manager at Redwood Empire Vineyard Management. REVM and Antinori are two early users of Lumo’s Pump Automation product, a powerful new integration with its smart valve platform that automates irrigation scheduling and execution from end to end. The solution has already been deployed at ranches ranging in size from 60 to 1,300 acres. Real-time, block-level flow and pressure data from Lumo smart valves is used to verify performance, dial in precision, and keep critical infrastructure safe. Over 150 ranches in Napa, Sonoma, the Central Coast, the Okanagan Valley and Washington State are already using Lumo’s precision irrigation system to close their execution gap, increase operational efficiency, and irrigate to plan. In July

The clink of glasses, the warmth of late afternoon sun across the vines—these are the moments that define a winery. But digital marketers can get stuck in the rut of Facebook posts and Instagram stories that have become repetitive and rote. How do you translate the sensory magic of a tasting room into strategies that make visitors show up in person? Take a look at some marketing channels that are not as used by wineries, where old-school storytelling and next-gen tech converge to give you a competitive edge. Connected TV: Your Vineyard in 4K Another banner ad, another still photo, another yawn. Sometimes the channel itself can leave you feeling confined to content that lacks vitality. If you’re facing that, and you’ve got the budget, think about going big on video and distributing it via Connected TV.. Connected TV (CTV) lets you beam the romance of your winery directly into living rooms, framed by the cinematic power of streaming. Think smart TVs, Roku, Apple TV&

Silver Oak in Napa Valley is already all smiles with their new SPICA ⭐️ getting speedy lab results using enzymatic and colorimetric methods. It was awesome implementing automation with SPICA ⭐️ in your lab, Josh Toepfer. Welcome to the SPICA ⭐️ family, Silver Oak! 🍷 

Garrison Brothers Distillery and Ledson Winery Take Top Honors  (March 17, 2025) — Winners have been announced in the fourth annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A merlot from Ledson Vineyards & Winery (Sonoma County, Calif.) and a small batch bourbon from Garrison Brothers Distillery (Hye, Texas.) topped their fields to be named Best of the Best. The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States. Judging took place February 25-26, 2025. Says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine Competitions Management & Production, “Year after year, our judges continue to be impressed with the depth in each category. The quality of product was fantastic!” Competition this ye

Sonoma County Winegrowers Focus on Creating Experiences to Engage New and Existing Wine Lovers SANTA ROSA, Calif. (January 17, 2025) – For over a decade, Sonoma County Winegrowers has been at the forefront of innovation, forging powerful partnerships with iconic brands like John Deere, Ford Pro, Wilbur Ellis, Landry’s, and the San Francisco Giants. As unveiled at this week’s annual Dollars & $ense meeting, held virtually, 2025 marks a year dedicated to “Renewing, Building, and Growing” these renowned programs, expanding their reach, amplifying the Sonoma County story, and setting new benchmarks in excellence. As Karissa Kruse, president and chief executive officer of Sonoma County Winegrowers, started her presentation with a review of the past twelve years since she joined the organization, it was clear that the results in building the brand’s visibility over the years has been successful. From being world leaders in sustainability, to sports ma