Since wine is a product of the land and deeply traditional, it is somewhat difficult to imagine it surrounded by new technologies… And yet! More and more start-ups and companies are embracing innovation in the wine industry. From production and use to distribution and the consumer experience, there are countless innovations that we will introduce in this article.
The different areas
Innovation in the wine industry is divided into 4 areas: production, distribution, expertise, and use. To begin, let’s talk about production. This area brings together all the companies innovating for the well-being of the vines and winegrowers. The period during which they operate begins even before the vines are planted and continues through bottling. Next comes distribution, which focuses on innovating sales processes and formats for professionals and individuals. There is also expertise, which concerns recommendations and the economy in relation to consumers and wine tourism. Finally, there is use, where companies innovate to improve wine consumption, packaging, and management.
Production
Chouette
Chouette is a young start-up specializing in monitoring and analyzing vineyards. They have developed and patented a technology that provides winegrowers with very high-resolution images of their vineyards from cameras mounted on a drone, an airplane, or even their own tractors. These images are very useful in helping winegrowers address viticultural challenges as effectively as possible.
Wine protect
Wine protect has developed a solution to a problem affecting all types of winegrowers, both small and large: frost. The climate of a vineyard is one of winegrowers’ priorities, as frost can have irreversible consequences for several years. Wine protect has therefore developed an infrared heating lamp that prevents frost from forming. It is placed between the vines and activated automatically by a sensor that detects low temperatures.
Distribution
Les Grappes
Les Grappes has a single objective: bringing winegrowers and buyers closer together by eliminating intermediaries between them. They have therefore opened two platforms, one for individuals and the other for professionals. Les Grappes has since become the 1st wine sales platform offering delivery without intermediaries. They have succeeded in bringing together a community of more than 100 winegrowers.
Bestwine Online
Bestwine enables as many people as possible to taste and then purchase the finest and most delicious wines. They list all the wines and spirits served in the world’s greatest restaurants, from red wine to champagne, as well as gin and tequila. They introduce you to the most prestigious wine & spirits lists in the world.
Expertise
Vinidaily
When you find yourself in front of the wine aisle at the supermarket, unless you have a favorite bottle, you can spend an awfully long time there… That’s where Vinidaily comes in! It is an app that helps you choose your wine at the supermarket. Connect to the app, answer a few questions, take a photo of the aisle, and you will immediately receive a selection based on your answers. After that, all you have to do is go home and enjoy.
Winalist
Winalist observed that it was difficult for individuals to find wine tourism stays or activities. Following this observation, the company created a platform allowing tourists to book activities quickly and free of charge. The website is available in 11 different languages to provide international reach, and payments are made online, considerably reducing the risk of customers not showing up.
Use
D-Vine
The issue that D-Vine sought to solve is wine waste. Indeed, when wine is served by the glass, the entire bottle may not be consumed and may then be thrown away, or after too long a wait, the wine may have remained in contact with oxygen… But they solved it! D-Vine successfully developed the first system for serving fine wines by the glass in optimal tasting conditions. They opted for a 10 cl tube-shaped bottle, allowing consumers to enjoy a wide range of appellations. Thanks to their machine, the wine is instantly brought to the desired temperature and aerated to the equivalent of 3 hours of aeration in 40 seconds.
Aveine
The company Aveine has innovated by developing the 1st connected wine aerator, which aerates wine instantly. Very easy to use, it is used by both professionals and individuals. After opening the wine bottle, simply place the aerator on the neck and scan the label with the Aveine app. The app recognizes the label and automatically sets the optimal tasting conditions. Finally, all you have to do is serve the wine.
At Domaine du Goût, we contribute to these innovations. Thanks to Vinovae’s Vinottes technology, we have developed several products in our range. First, our Wine Boxes; order a box of 4 Vinottes, taste them at home, and use your wine selection code to choose your 3 favorite bottles, which we will then send to you (also available in the 1st Cru and Grand Cru formats). And the essential gift for the holidays: the Advent Calendar. We have developed a 100% organic wine Advent calendar thanks to the selection made by our sommelier, Thierry Dorge.
