Wine tech innovation enables smart, remote control of wine making

Based at innovation place, Tonsley Innovation District, ifm efector, a global manufacturer of industrial sensor and control solutions is making an impact on South Australia’s wine making.

Alongside other priority sectors, including defence, space, biotech, and critical technologies, agriculture plays a vital role in shaping the state’s future competitiveness. Hill-Smith Family Estates, a sixth-generation winemaking and distribution business with a rich and diverse portfolio of leading fine wine brands, sought a temperature monitoring solution that was simple, reliable and future-ready, without the need to rely on specialist engineering and maintenance expertise.

ifm efector’s user-friendly IO-Link enabled temperature monitoring devices provided the ideal solution. An IO link is the technological platform that enables sensors and actuators that produce and consume enriched sets of data to communicate economically with the master device and systems, enabling users to access data easily at a central location.

According to Luke Wilson, Manager – Engineering, Services & Cellar Operations, Hill-Smith Family Estates, this solution has been adopted as the new instrumentation standard across the Hill-Smith Family Estates. “We selected the ifm IO Link solution for our temperature control management system because of its ease of installation,” he says.

IO-link technology enables remote support for wine making

Building the system on the IO-link network has enabled the winery team to be able to quickly and cost-effectively replace faulted probes, valves, and hardware that require only minimal electrical knowledge. This suited the winery’s requirement for remote support, especially as there was no technical or engineering support onsite at the Pontos Hills Vineyard.

However, the real transformation came with remote diagnostics and smart functionality. Instead of relying on time-consuming manual checks, the winemaking team (and their engineering specialists at their other locations) could access the system remotely, receiving real-time data and early alarms that enabled them to make immediate adjustments.

This proactive approach gave the team greater confidence during the vintage season, enabling faster, more precise winemaking with less downtime. “A lot of wineries have temperature control in the form of a probe and a valve on a tank,” he says. “But what inevitably happens is that the valve will fail or something happens so that the tank is no longer under control, but the winemaker’s not aware of it. The ifm solution comprises smart sensors that have given us the ability to react before there’s any impact on the quality of the product,” explains Luke.

Wine tech delivers precision control, sustainability gains and a scalable solution

Hill-Smith Family Estate’s Janz Tasmania ‘close to the source’ winemaking approach has allowed it not only to improve wine quality, but also to deliver on sustainability.

Meanwhile, the continuous monitoring ensures precise temperature control, reducing wastage. Importantly, the Hill-Smith Family Estate winemakers could optimise operations to power down equipment during peak energy demand periods, easing pressure on the grid and reducing costs. This will result in a more efficient use of resources, lower energy consumption and a clear reduction in the winery’s carbon footprint.

New ways of innovating are being embraced and implemented by wine makers across SA looking to increase efficiencies, quality of product and deliver on sustainability goals.

South Australia’s interconnected ecosystem of research, innovation and technology development, positions the state at the forefront of innovation and high-value exports.

To learn more about how agriculture features across South Australia’s 21 innovation places, visit the SA Innovation Places map on our homepage.