Napa, Calif.—Ridge Vineyards of Cupertino, Calif., won the inaugural Vintage Report Innovation Award for the study “The Effects of Lag-Phase Thinning on Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.” Ridge’s viticulturist, Will Thomas, conducted the study in collaboration with Dr. James Kennedy, chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at California State University, Fresno. The innovation award is sponsored by Bank of the West and Fruition Sciences, which on Jan. 21 hosted its Vintage Report Symposium about growing conditions during the 2013 harvest. The companies honored two other finalists for their work: Austin Peterson, winemaker at Ovid Napa Valley in Napa Valley for his study on water use, and Murphys, Calif.,-based Vineyard Concepts for its development of a bin cover to help keep grapes cool during transport. Details: fruitionsciences.com.