Proposals Now being Accepted for Inaugural Vintage Report Innovation Award Presented by Bank of the West

SAN FRANCISCO and NAPA, Calif., July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of the West and Fruition Sciences today announced the creation of the Vintage Report Innovation Award Presented by Bank of the West to celebrate innovation and sustainability in viticulture.

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Applications are now being accepted for this year's inaugural award, which recognizes the most groundbreaking method, practice or approach used during the 2013 vintage. The winner will be announced at Fruition Sciences' 2013 Vintage Report conference in January 2014.

"In our work in Napa Valley and other regions, we are inspired on a daily basis by the creativity we see among growers and winemakers," said Adam Beak, head of Bank of the West's Premium Wine Group. "As a leading bank to the wine industry, we want to foster and celebrate the spirit that's driving that innovation. Collaborating on this award with Fruition Sciences, the founder of the prestigious Vintage Report conference, is an exciting way for us to do so. We hope this annual award will inspire even more experimentation and innovation in the years ahead."

(Watch a brief Vintage Award video with Adam Beak.)

A judging panel of industry experts will choose the most innovative project during the vintage:

• Dr. Jan Krupp, founder of Stagecoach Vineyard. A former internist, Dr. Krupp sold his practice in 1998 to pursue his dream of creating a great vineyard. The result was a massive vineyard created with cutting-edge rootstocks, clones and techniques.
• Jim Barbour, founder and owner of Barbour Vineyards. In his 30-plus year career as a viticulturist, Barbour has planted and managed some of Napa Valley's most respected vineyards and played an essential role in creating some of its most highly rated wines.
• Mark Matthews, Professor at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine at the University of California at Davis. Professor Matthews has taught viticulture courses and conducted research in plant water relations and vine-environment interactions for 30 years.
• Andy Beckstoffer, founder and owner of Beckstoffer Vineyards. A founding director of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association in 1975, Beckstoffer has been one of the leaders in the evolution of the Napa Valley into a world-class grape growing region.
• Curtis Phillips, senior technical editor at Wine Business Monthly. A graduate of UC Davis and the University of Wales, Phillips has been a winemaker with several large and small wineries as well as a winemaking consultant.

"We are honored to have a panel of such highly regarded judges for our inaugural Vintage Report Innovation Award Presented by Bank of the West," said Thibaut Scholasch, co-founder of Fruition Sciences. "We look forward to receiving applications for this award, which celebrates the most creative projects advancing viticulture in one of the premier wine regions in the world."

Each year, Fruition Sciences organizes the Vintage Report, an exclusive conference that brings together winemakers, viticulturists and scientists to share information about the vintage and present the latest technical advances in the field. In doing so, the Vintage Report provides a venue for bringing new ideas to the forefront and improving the industry as a whole.

To be eligible for the Vintage Report Innovation Award Presented by Bank of the West, approaches must be used during the 2013 vintage (though they may have started earlier), and the techniques must be either implemented in or exportable to Napa terroirs.

The deadline for award submissions is December 6, 2013. 

The winning submission will be announced on Wednesday, January 22, 2014.  The winner will be invited to present the project and results at Fruition Sciences' 2013 Vintage Report conference and will be recognized in a news release; celebrated through a congratulatory advertisement in Wine Business Monthly, Wines & Vines, and Vineyard & Winery Management; and promoted via social media.

About Fruition Sciences

Founded in 2007, Fruition Sciences is an information technology company providing winemakers and grape growers with a decision tool to optimize their vineyard management. With a focus on monitoring plant physiology, Fruition Sciences has developed a very unique approach to optimize vineyard monitoring.

About Bank of the West

Founded in 1874, $62 billion-asset Bank of the West offers a full range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 650 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 200,000 employees. Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com) is a Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.

SOURCE Bank of the West