Wine traceability – Anti-counterfeiting and Marketing - Winery 4.0

When talk is of food, wine, farming or agriculture, it may not be immediately apparent that there is a link to technology and the digital world, and we forget how essential it really is to create the right combination of tradition, the present and the future.

The world of today is grounded in technology, digital is a constant, fundamental part of our daily lives, and it is right that it should also form part of those sectors that are wrongly attributed as being traditionalist and manual.

Integration of technology in the agri-food sector, however, should not take place just because we are in an era of digitalisation, making it seem a though the step should be mandatory, rather it is very important to see the enormous potential and possibilities that digital can generate in these types of organisations.

All companies who decide to integrate digital into their production processes will be able to reap huge management rewards, such as storage of goods, and improved resource management, with considerably large savings. They will also be able to rely on systems that analyse a range of environmental factors, such as optimal days for harvesting in vineyards to be able to draw out higher quality wines, prevent diseases or establish optimal levels of irrigation required by the soil.

Marketing in the agri-food sector, especially the wine-making sector, will also need to go digital, the only way for the sector to have a future that will live up to expectations.
 
Wineries 4.0 is no longer just an abstract idea that people talk about, but is now a host of well established, innovative companies that have taken advantage of the huge potential provided by digital technologies and have made leaps in improvement in all areas.

It is thus been established that technological innovation can and should have a positive impact on the agri-food industry, resulting in significant improvements in various aspects of a product, such as taste, aroma, traceability, assurance of provenance, and production methodology.

Of the entire agri-food sector that we have mentioned thus far, there is one sub-sector that particularly stands out and is extremely important – the wine production chain.

Indeed, the Italian wine industry is one of the most visible, internationally prominent markets that extends from East to West with no boundaries or limits. Italian wine is ranked as one of the most esteemed and prized in the world, capable of tallying up the highest number of Italian exports abroad, as well as 50% of the turnover in the agri-food sector.

This is why the Italian wine sector is one of the undeniable cornerstones in our country, which must be safeguarded and supported at all costs, using all the methods at our disposal.

Wine production is a process that includes manifold steps, it is very often laborious and demanding, and these steps make it difficult to keep quality standards at the highest of levels, which is why wine labelled as Made in Italy is ranked as being the most popular.The production of a bottle of Italian wine involves the transformation from raw material, i.e. grapes, to finished and usable material, packaging and marketing. All wine producers are continually facing manifold challenges, beginning with the earliest stages of production, but these challenges may best be dealt with by relying on technology and digital.

By using the full potential and principles of IoT in the wine sector, farms can transform their entire production process into true smart, intelligent autonomous systems, capable of providing information on all aspects of the vineyard, allowing them to decide on which strategy to implement for optimum cultivation, set varying harvesting cycles, and many other features.

However, the wine production chain does not only concern the more manual and traditional side of the business, such as work in the vineyard or the subsequent refining of the
 
wine, but also includes other steps that are more of a managerial and marketing nature.

An essential step in the entire wine production process is bottling, transportation and subsequent distribution of the product, as well as communication, which is essential in ensuring good sales.

Here, over the years there has been a trend that is seeing consumers paying more and more attention to all aspects of product quality, from the care taken in creating a label and the data included on it, to the type of bottle and the many additions that can be made to it.

In this respect, consumers have become more discerning about what they purchase. They require a product that gives them a greater sense of quality, attention to even the minutest of details and, of course, safety.

The entire wine sector has been compelled to adopt new communication strategies, to focus on the quality, not only of the wine, but of all the packaging included, the brand and the services provided, to guarantee that customers receive a true consumer experience.

An example of NFC technology that has been integrated into the world of wine is thermochromic labels, which pick up on the most sensitive temperature variations, to which wine is particularly subject. By adopting these types of technologies for wine production, all issues arising from the counterfeiting of Made in Italy products will be prevented, ensuring complete transparency of the entire production process and underscoring company focus on the consumer, in addition to its awareness in guaranteeing the highest standards in quality.

The tools provided by IoT technologies not only guarantee that all legislative regulations and compliance with the law are met, all of which wineries are subject to, but they also add enormous value to company brands, which can then be used as a strength towards successful marketing campaign strategies.