Napa, Calif.—Bank of the West and Fruition Sciences announced the three finalists for the 2014 Vintage Report Innovation Award, which recognizes the most “groundbreaking method, practice or sustainable approach” used during the past harvest.

This year's finalists are:

Monica Cooper, the Napa County University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor who examined the effectiveness of regional grower groups and remote mapping strategies to monitor and manage grapevine leafroll-associated viruses.

E. & J. Gallo Winery that experimented with a variable rate irrigation system prototype to assess vineyard variability and water use efficiency. 

Ridge Vineyards used sequential petiole sampling and berry analysis to evaluate two rootstocks from the same ranch to determine which consistently generates a higher quality wine.

The winner will be announced at the 2014 Vintage Report Conference on Jan. 20 in Napa. Details: fruitionsciences.com