Fibre optic sensor that can be placed inside a barrel or vat to give real time analytics of the critical parameters for vinification.

Project Information

Winegrid

Grant agreement ID: 832214

DOI

10.3030/832214

Project closed

EC signature date 19 November 2018

Start date 1 November 2018

End date 28 February 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

WATGRID LDA
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Winegrid (Fibre optic sensor that can be placed inside a barrel or vat to give real time analytics of the critical parameters for vinification.)

Reporting period: 2018-11-01 to 2019-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Vinification requires strict monitoring and control of a series of parameters from the reception of the raw material to the bottling of the final product. To produce quality wine, it is critically important to monitor certain parameters: density, turbidity, colour, level, temperature and alcohol content. Such monitoring and quality control is part of the science and artistry of producing an exceptional balanced product. However, such monitoring is time and resource intensive, requiring expensive investments in advanced equipment and high skilled personnel. Indeed, in a worldwide market worth €261 billion, winemakers are spending yearly €667 million in Europe alone for vinification technologies. As the shift towards efficient, automated and precision winemaking become increasingly important, the European and global Wine industry is pressing for the need to improve the monitoring of various stages of wine production. The winemakers will, therefore, be willing to adopt newer technologies and this project fills this highly desired need in Europe by revolutionising the vinification process.
Watgrid developed a state of the art real time and remote monitoring platform that will allow winemakers to have an eye inside the wine vat. Winegrid is a smart solution based on a network of innovative sensor units placed in a container (barrel, tank, press) during the vinification process of wine. It is capable of providing, for the first time ever, real-time analysis and control the critical vinification parameters, sending information directly to a specially built online platform. It is the internet of things (IoT) for wine production.
The objectives of the feasibility study were to evaluate the technical, validation and regulatory requirements for the introduction of the Winegrid systems into the European market, identify and finalize an optimized value chain, and design the validation activities including securing sites for in-field user trials, with the ultimate objective to commercialise Winegrid and become the industry leader in Vinification monitoring.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the feasibility assessment, Watgrid has completed a full analysis of the technical and business potential of Winegrid. Throughout the project, Watgrid has greatly expanded their knowledge regarding the technical objectives, potential market targets, and regulatory approval required for the European market launch. The key technical milestone achieved during the project was the performance testing of the Winegrid sensors at Chateau-Margaux as well as the initiation of infield testing with Sogrape and ARTADI which will be fundamental to achieve regulatory approval of the Winegrid and CE certification. It secured the interest of 3 partners to act as in-field validation sites during the Phase 2 innovation project. The company also validated their value chain for scale-up operations and secured multiple companies/organisations. Watgrid analysed in detail the go-to-market strategy to define the approach for accelerated and effective market uptake. Furthermore, Watgrid calculated detailed five year financial projections for commercialisation and analysed the financial and infrastructure requirements for achieving global sales.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The expected outcome is to finalize the composition of the Winegrid, and perform in-field validation trials. As a result, the state of the art real-time and remote monitoring platform will be ready for market introduction and commercialisation. The development of wine profile database and AI tools will provide Oenologists the much anticipated predictive reporting functionality. Further, integration of the control unit with Winegrid will also help in the automatic management of the environment of winemaking containers and cellars. The Winegrid will have a significant positive impact on the efficiency and competitiveness of European wine producers. The system and solution will also improve the quality of the wine, help in developing niche wines and provide substantial savings to wine producers.

Winegrid Unit