Wine being a terroir product and very traditional, it is a bit hard to imagine it surrounded by new technologies… And yet! More and more start-ups and companies are innovating in the field of wine. From the various areas of production and use, through distribution and experience, there are many innovations that we will present to you in this article.
The different areas
Innovation around wine is divided into 4 areas: production, distribution, expertise, and use. To start, let’s talk about production. This area includes all companies innovating for the well-being of the vine and the winemaker. The timeframe in which they operate takes shape even before the planting of the vines up to bottling. Next comes distribution, which focuses on innovating in sales processes and formats between professionals and individuals. There is also expertise, which relates to recommendation and economics connected to the consumer or even wine tourism. Finally, there is use, where companies innovate to improve consumption, packaging, and wine management.
Production
Chouette
Chouette is a young start-up specializing in vineyard monitoring and analysis. They have developed a patented technology that allows the winemaker to have very high-resolution photos of their vineyard taken by cameras mounted on a drone, a plane, or even on their own tractors. These images are very useful to help winemakers better address viticultural challenges.
Wine protect
Wine protect has developed a solution to a problem affecting all types of winemakers, big and small: frost. The climate of a vineyard is a top priority for winemakers because frost has irreversible consequences over several years. Wine protect has therefore developed an infrared heating lamp that prevents frost formation. It is placed between the vine rows and activates automatically thanks to a sensor detecting low temperatures.
Distribution
Les Grappes
Les Grappes is a start-up with a single goal: to bring winemakers and buyers closer by removing intermediaries between these two groups. They have thus launched two platforms, one for individuals and the other for professionals. Les Grappes has since become the first platform for selling wines delivered without intermediaries. They have managed to gather a community of over 100 winemakers.
Bestwine Online
Bestwine allows as many people as possible to taste and then buy the finest and most delicious wines. They list all the wines and spirits served in the world’s top restaurants. From red wine to champagne, including gin and tequila. They let you discover the most prestigious wine & spirit menus in the world.
Expertise
Vinidaily
When you find yourself in the wine aisle of the supermarket, unless you have your favorite bottle, you always spend ages there… That’s where Vinidaily comes in! It’s an app that helps you choose your wine at the supermarket. By logging into the app and answering a few questions, take a photo of the aisle and you will instantly receive a selection based on your answers. After that, all that’s left is to go home and enjoy.
Winalist
Winalist noticed that it was difficult for individuals to find wine tourism stays or activities. After this observation, they created a platform allowing tourists to book activities quickly and without fees. The site is available in 11 different languages to offer international reach, and payments are made online, which greatly reduces the risk of no-shows.
Use
D-Vine
The problem D-Vine sought to solve is wine waste. Indeed, when serving wine by the glass, it’s possible that the whole bottle is not consumed and then discarded, or that after too long a wait, the wine has been exposed to oxygen… But they solved it! D-Vine developed the first system allowing the serving of Great Wines by the glass under optimal tasting conditions. They chose a 10cl tube-shaped bottle, which allows the consumer to have 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 innovated and developed the first connected wine aerator, which allows instant aeration of wine. Very easy to use, it is used by both professionals and individuals. After opening the wine bottle, simply place the aerator on the neck, scan the label with the Aveine app. The app recognizes the label and automatically sets the optimal tasting conditions. Finally, all that’s left is to serve the wine.
At Domaine du Goût, we participate in these innovations. Thanks to the Vinottes technology from Vinovae, we have developed several products in our range. To start, our Wine Boxes; order a set of 4 vinottes, taste them at home, and choose your 3 favorite bottles with your Wine Choice Code, which we will then send you (also available in Premier Cru and Grand Cru formats). And the must-have for the holidays: the Advent Calendar. We developed a 100% organic wine advent calendar thanks to the selection of our sommelier Thierry Dorge. This calendar is also available in the Prestige format, with a completely different selection composed only of Premier Crus or equivalent. Perfect to delight the parents while the kids enjoy chocolate!
