Enartis, an Italian multinational company and part of the Esseco Group, which operates in the alcoholic beverage sector and wine products and services market, has finalised the acquisition of Watgrid (brand name: Winegrid).
Watgrid is a Portuguese company that has developed and patented cutting-edge technology for monitoring wine production using sensors.
Enartis sees the acquisition as an opportunity to project itself as a leader toward the digitisation and automation of modern wineries.
According to Samuele Benelli, general manager of Enartis, the move is a milestone in the evolution of Enartis.
“Allowing the company to consolidate its position globally in the wine industry, offering its customers an even more comprehensive and innovative integrated range of products and services,” he added.
Winegrid’s technology is based on the use of smart sensors that are applied at different stages of wine production, particularly during fermentation. These sensors can collect real-time data on both the progress of fermentation and other important parameters.
The data collected are processed by artificial intelligence (AI) software and advanced algorithms within a proprietary information system on a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform. This provides valuable insights to winemakers about fermentation and ageing, helping them make decisions quickly and reduce production costs.
“In line with Enartis’ goal of bringing “smart winemaking” to support wineries around the world, Winegrid technology will enable producers to increase the efficiency of their wineries. Additionally, the AI software will enable them to perform predictive analysis of their production, minimising the need for product sampling and analysis during the winemaking process,” said Piermario Ticozzelli, strategic business director of Enartis.
“Enartis represents an opportunity for Winegrid to gain direct access to the wine production sector globally, due to the seamless integration of expertise between the two worlds, which are naturally complementary: together we listen to the voice of winemakers and provide the answer to their needs,” said Rogério Nogueira, co-founder and CEO of Winegrid. “This is an important milestone to accelerate the adoption of our technology to extract the full potential of harvest for more winemakers”, confirmed Lúcia Bilro, co-founder and CTO of Winegrid.
Enartis is projecting a future of the industry through the concept of “Smart Enology” to increase competitiveness and efficiency in a winery.
