AI Winemaking — The Secret Ingredient is Machine Learning

The tradition of wine-making stretches back as far as 6,000 BC, and while nobody has ever said it was easy, humans have continued to perfect the skill for millennia.

It covers almost every corner of the globe, with generations of winemakers passing down knowledge and traditions learned to produce the variety of wines we have today.

However, there appears to be a new vintner on the scene, and it comes in the form of artificial intelligence winemaking.

With the countless opportunities for AI to advance the science of cultivating grapevines and post-harvest fermentation – winemaking production lines look set to change.

We’ll dig into the AI and machine learning applications and technologies that are helping wineries manage their vineyard climate and soil monitoring, yield optimization, recipe development, as well as what the future might hold for the industry.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. AI in Grape Growing & Vineyard Management
3. Post-Harvest – Winemaking Enhancements Using AI
4. Potential Downsides of Injecting AI into the Winemaking Process
5. The Bottom Line
6. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. AI in Grape Growing & Vineyard Management
3. Post-Harvest – Winemaking Enhancements Using AI
Show Full Guide
4. Potential Downsides of Injecting AI into the Winemaking Process
5. The Bottom Line
6. References

AI in Grape Growing & Vineyard Management

Even before the current season’s grapes are harvested, the thoughts and plans for next year’s vintages are underway.

Although the significance of viticulture — the science of growing and cultivating grapevines — was recognized long before the advent of the first computer, AI is now being used to manage fundamental process phases, including soil management, vine training, and bespoke irrigation, all deemed vital for a successful harvest.

Most modern-day winemakers still rely on their wealth of expertise and ability to make intuitive decisions; despite this, more and more vintners are leveraging the advanced capabilities of artificial intelligence to refine their craft.

Katerina Axelsson, CEO and Founder of wine-making tool Tastry, explained to Techopedia:

“The wine industry is beginning to have a greater understanding of how AI can enhance various aspects of the wine-making process. It has successfully integrated into precision agriculture to help monitor vineyard health, assess soil conditions, and determine optimal harvest timing.”

Able to monitor soil samples onsite in real time, AI can also scrutinize satellite photography to detect and flag potential issues, such as under- or over-irrigation of individual grapevines.

Furthermore, vineyards can now utilize artificial intelligence to coordinate solar-powered GPS robots that can help tend and aerate the soil, assist with weeding, and even pick the grapes at peak ripeness at harvesting time.

Post-Harvest – Winemaking Enhancements Using AI

Beyond the harvesting stage, the next juncture of winemaking begins, and where perhaps AI’s influence in the process is greatest during fermentation and production.

Companies can combine chemical wine analysis with AI-driven consumer insights, allowing wineries to fine-tune their vintages to better match the preferences of their target audiences.

Axelsson said: “Primarily, the technology provides critical data after secondary fermentation, analyzing wine characteristics in-depth to guide further processing and final adjustments, and using predictive modelling, to suggest optimal blending ratios that mitigate taint while enhancing the wine’s overall profile.”

“We leveraged Computational Blending to rescue wine productions affected by smoke taint, preserving the sensory qualities of the wine without the unwanted smoky notes.”

While fundamentalists may argue that the process will always entail an expert’s insight and, indeed, be subject to a final human taste test, it’s promising that ML algorithms can help fast-track this development while reducing wastage.

Potential Downsides of Injecting AI into the Winemaking Process

As with every other industry where artificial intelligence provides beneficial aids, AI helps to streamline the process, enhance the final product, and reduce expenditure despite the initial high start-up cost.

However, AI wine production may have a different price to pay.

For example, legacy vineyard operations have historically been labour-intensive, albeit in part using unskilled labour.

AI robots capable of automating the growing and picking process could leave vast swathes of workers unemployed, which, for communities where the vineyard is the region’s primary employer, can harm a local economy.

Furthermore, a growing number of traditionalists are raising valid concerns that AI can diminish the human expertise and artisanal techniques refined over generations of winemaking. The result of which they argue will turn the industry into a soulless enterprise, rather than a highly valued skilled profession.

After all, enology and viticulture are authentic art forms. Although advanced technology will undoubtedly benefit the wine industry, there is a genuine risk that traditional skills, intuitive decision-making, and generations of wine production knowledge may be lost and not passed down to future generations.

The Bottom Line

The ethical debates will only get louder as AI wine’s development increases, but for a large proportion of the wine-drinking population, the end product may justify the means.

New varieties of wine, unique flavors, and potentially lower prices will arguably appeal to the general public, which is always good for business. Yet, no doubt, it will continue to ruffle a few feathers amongst old-school wine connoisseurs.

There is a danger of wineries losing touch with the heritage of one of the oldest professions on the planet, but AI winemaking is here to stay and hopefully these traditions can still be passed on.

In the end, artificial intelligence is like a fine wine… it isn’t always to everybody’s taste.