Specifically, thanks to that mapping project, we have divided the Okanagan in a number of different regions that are linked, to some degree, to climate parameters to some degree, but also soil parameters. In the long run this will help the industry to make better informed choices on what to grow where profitably, and at the same time to be able to achieve optimum quality parameters.
The project is also linked to irrigation practices. That aspect is really critical in our area. I mentioned that the availability of water is limited, but the application of water in our semi-arid climate is also a tool for impacting the quality of the end product. The mapping, especially in regard to soils but also temperature parameters, has really assisted us in making well-informed decisions on how to time irrigation, for one thing, but also on how much irrigation to apply. The idea is really to keep the grape plant always under a little bit of moderate stress—not too much stress and not too little stress—so it will actually mature earlier and produce more flavour and aroma compounds.
There are other projects under the DIAP that we have done, in which we're specifically looking at irrigation. The mapping project is a basis for research that all other research can then use to be able to classify specific vineyards where we are doing research.
By the way, most of the research we do is actually done in commercial vineyards. Very little research is done on site in Summerland in their own vineyards. They do have a small vineyard for research purposes but primarily for testing product that is not allowed to be used in a commercial situation.