Heat units are measured and the rate of photosynthesis calculated. Trellising systems are studied and tweaked, while clonal selections are tested. The sugar level of the fruit is measured either by a refractometer or a hydrometer. Science is so much a part of the scene that a popular Napa Valley restaurant calls itself Brix. This term refers to the scale commonly used to measure grape sugar.
Modern wineries resemble laboratories with stainless steel tanks and computerized control stations.
Old World charm is often a figment of the advertising agency's imagination. In the winery, fermentation bubbles into microbiology as sugar is converted into alcohol. And don't forget engineering. Chemistry enters as oxidation reactions are monitored, and the progress of aging wine is measured. Sulfur dioxide levels also have to be checked.