Shoot ninja: Bodega Cuatro Rayas pioneers VR pruning tool

Rueda winery Bodega Cuatro Rayas is part of an initiative to train a new generation in pruning using cutting-edge virtual reality.

Among the many skilled tasks a winery must undertake through the year, pruning is a particular challenge. Correct pruning is vital to the annual crop’s success, but it will moreover have significant impact on the vine’s long-term health. With finding experienced staff a regular concern for winemakers all over the world, a Spanish group has found an ingenious solution. Bodega Cuatro Rayas, along with six partner organisations, will use virtual reality to train staff in pruning.

The VIPO project unites the winery with research institutes, business groups and temporary employment agencies. With funding from the European Union and Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, the project aims to promote competitiveness in the wine sector.

The training system encompasses a number of representative scenarios to simulate the challenges of a real vineyard. It begins with an online theoretical course, delivering training on pruning methodology. This is followed by the virtual reality pruning experience, which uses virtual reality goggles and sensorised pruning shears.

The scheme is designed to train staff in the complex practice without risking vine health. At any point of pruning, the vine is at greater risk of contracting grapevine trunk diseases such as Eutypa dieback. The cuts potentially allow pathogens to enter the plant and infect the plant.

Viticulturists are therefore increasingly using pruning techniques to protect their vines and promote vineyard health. By careful cuts, producers can keep sap flowing through the plant and reduce cuts to old wood. This minimises the risk of infection and promotes the long-term health that creates high-quality grapes.

Such precision pruning requires experienced staff. However, producers may be wary of training in the vineyard, where an honest mistake could lead to vine disease. The new virtual reality technology will allow Bodega Cuatro Rayas to train staff in pruning without the risk to its vineyards.

The virtual reality process also ensures consistent expertise. Vineyard work, often characterised by seasonal stints and short-term contracts, is a highly changeable industry. There is no guarantee that staff will return each year. Moreover, with pruning happening at very specific points in the vine’s life cycle, there are few opportunities to train ahead of the pruning season. The new virtual reality tool means that staff can be trained flexibly, at any point in the year, ready for the demands of the vineyard.

As a ‘gamification’ of vineyard work, the VIPO project is also intended to attract a young new generation to viticulture. For Bodega Cuatro Rayas, the innovative virtual reality system is key to bringing new blood into the industry. Both the technological appeal and flexibility are intended to drive recruitment, building the community of 700 local employees (including both direct and indirect employment) essential to Bodega Cuatro Rayas.

In fact, the co-operative sees innovation as key to ensuring its future success. The virtual reality project is just one example of Bodega Cuatro Rayas finding innovative solutions to long-term challenges. It has also launched the Delta project, which analyses water consumption and digitises the processes that use it. Meanwhile the Longverdejo project recovers indigenous indigenous yeasts through archaeoenology to make Verdejo designed for ageing. The resulting bottle matched its ambition in results: it won a Gold medal at the drinks business Spring Tasting.