vineyard

VitiSpec – EU-project

The VITISPEC project is a 2 year industry driven research and development project that is being funded by the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme under ‘Research for SME – Associations’.

Online tool for monitoring wine fermentation

The VITISPEC project aims to develop an affordable and reliable on-line tool for monitoring red wine fermentation for winemaking SMEs. The tool will be based on a novel combination of optical on-line measurement techniques and adaptive calibration methods. It will give European winemakers greater control over the wine production process, thereby enhancing the quality and competitiveness of European wines.

Based on a novel combination of optical on-line measurement techniques and adaptive calibration methods, VITISPEC will identify critical wine fermentation parameters and deliver the information to the winemaker. On-line measurements will shorten response times, thereby maximising the winemaker’s control over the fermentation process and the quality of the final product.

wine cellar

Keeping the VITISPEC system low-cost and therefore accessible to SMEs is an important priority of the project. This will enable small wine producers without laboratory facilities to better compete with major producers. Furthermore, the device will be non-intrusive, suitable for in-situ cleaning and robust, allowing for its on-line integration into commercial wineries.

Development of the VITISPEC system will begin with an examination of novel inspection techniques to determine their potential for predicting critical wine fermentation parameters. A prototype VITISPEC on-line monitoring system will then be designed, developed and tested in a modern wine making facility and calibrated against existing methods.

European Union flag

This project is supported by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.