Make, Store, and Relish Wine with New Tech Innovations

Arthur Miller,Analysis Manager,Constellation Brands

The harvesting method has taken a giant leap, with many winegrowers using automated harvesters and optical sorters to process grapes faster than those picked and sorted by hand

Innovations transform the way people make, store, and relish wine, with consumers now relying on everything from wine recommendation tools to wine cellar management applications. These developments make the wine experience more sophisticated and personalized and often fit with wine and other industries' ideals. Sustainability, recycling, and precision of yields, and additional forecasts are just a few of the targets for winemakers and wine lovers worldwide.

Temperature Control in Transportation

Wine must be transported at optimum temperatures to preserve its consistency.

 Currently, advancements that allow bottles to avoid overheating include insulated food tankers and exceptional cooling and cargo 

securing systems. In the meantime, one company has produced a thermal insulation film that is mounted inside containers or wine boxes. This simple but effective method is capable of successfully replacing refrigerated container transport systems.

Vineyard Scanners, Multi-Spectral and Thermal Infrared Cameras

Drones and super scanners are typical instruments used to ensure that grapes are cultivated and harvested to perfection. Scanners are currently monitoring factors such as nitrogen and sap flow and the health and color accumulation of vine wood. Meanwhile, both multi-spectral and thermal infrared cameras mounted on drones are being used to produce the same stress levels for grapes in different vineyard areas. This aspect helps winegrowers to know precisely where further hydration is required.

Grape Cell Death Measurement for Harvesting

Prediction of harvest times once included the physical heading to various vineyard areas for the taste-testing of different batches of grapes. Today, the procedure is much more advanced, with the addition of miniature oxygen probes to grapes to calculate the rate of cell death. The harvesting method has taken a giant leap, with many winegrowers using automated harvesters and optical sorters to process grapes faster than those picked and sorted by hand.

New Wine Processing Systems

The use of conventional oak casks continues to hold sway. Still, more and more manufacturing companies are looking into stainless steel and fiberglass, and staves—which can manipulate the flavor of different bottles. New technologies such as infrared spectrometry are being used to evaluate stave tannins, boost uniformity, and reduce the number of barrels requiring classification. Some firms also use 3D printers to create terracotta wine vessels with a reputation for quality and accuracy.

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