--- title: Uncovering hidden irrigation issues description: Ceres Imaging helps Trinchero Family Winery solve irrigation problems more efficiently. image: https://ceres.ai/hubfs/IMG_0194%20(8).jpg --- [![Logo](https://ceres.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo.png?width=157&height=36&name=Logo.png "Logo")](https://ceresimaging.net) CASE STUDIES # Uncovering hidden irrigation issues ## Trinchero Family Estates > "With Ceres Imaging, we can make educated irrigation decisions and improve wine quality." Melissa Bordi, Assistant Vineyard Manager Trinchero Family Estates has been in the wine business for more than 70 years. This prominent Shenandoah Valley operation boasts 14 varieties of wine grapes—grapes—and is known for prioritizing sustainability efforts. ![IMG_0450 (4)](https://ceres.ai/hubfs/IMG_0450%20(4).jpg "IMG_0450 (4)") ###### Crop Type Wine grapes ###### Location Amador County, California ###### Category Irrigation management ###### Highlight 25%-30% improvement in grape quality #### **The problem** With a reputation for producing some of the finest wine grapes in Amador County, Trinchero Family Estates has stringent requirements for uniformity—so Assistant Vineyard Manager Melissa Bordi was keen to correct a portion of a ranch where the grapes were consistently subpar. "We always experienced poor quality from the middle section, and no one could figure out why," she says. "Everything was on the same irrigation set, and in theory everything should have been uniform." #### **The solution** Water stress imagery revealed that the variation in quality was caused by an underground river running through the middle of the ranch. With help from a Ceres Imaging representative, Melissa and her team adjusted the irrigation program in the affected portion, improving uniformity and reducing overall water use. Ceres Imaging continues to work with Melissa and her team to identify vigorous areas in order to implement differential irrigation and viticulture decisions. “Because we have so many acres, Ceres Imaging has been so useful in helping us narrow down where we need to focus,” she says. #### **The outcome** Ceres Imaging helps Trinchero Family Winery solve irrigation problems more efficiently. ![Trinchero-before&after-01](https://ceres.ai/hubfs/Trinchero-before%26after-01.png "Trinchero-before&after-01") Water stress imagery revealed an underground river running through the affected block, visible here as the large band of blue. > Before we worked with Ceres Imaging, our irrigators would have to run the whole system to see where a line was flooding. Now, with aerial imagery, we are able to see exactly where our problems are—rather than running around randomly guessing. Melissa Bordi, Assistant Vineyard Manager [![Back to case studies](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/3781587/b506897b-71f8-42f0-8b6a-990b37d381cf.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/3781587/b506897b-71f8-42f0-8b6a-990b37d381cf) ### More case studies [Almonds Sustainability Agribusiness Grower ## Optimizing irrigation strategies ](https://ceres.ai/customer-stories-old/optimizing-irrigation-strategies) [Wine grapes Agribusiness Grower ## Precision irrigation with a lean team ](https://ceres.ai/customer-stories-old/precision-irrigation-with-a-lean-team) [Almonds Agribusiness Grower ## Efficient workflows for drip irrigation maintenance ](https://ceres.ai/customer-stories-old/efficient-workflows-for-drip-irrigation-maintenance) [**CERES IMAGING**](https://www.ceresimaging.net/) 409 13th St. 16th Floor Oakland, CA 94612 +1 888-704-9398 [support@ceresimaging.net](mailto:support@ceresimaging.net)     ### Newsletter sign-up © 2026 Ceres Imaging This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. [**](https://www.facebook.com/ceresimaging/) [**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceres-imaging) [**](https://twitter.com/ceresimaging?lang=en) [**](https://www.instagram.com/ceresimaging/?hl=en) ### For a limited time, book a free water stress analysis from Ceres Imaging and test-drive the industry’s most popular aerial imagery solution. [![Book now](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/3781587/ba3e2153-685e-429a-9aff-b7dd9323d7c7.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/3781587/ba3e2153-685e-429a-9aff-b7dd9323d7c7) [##](##)