Wine is an extremely delicate product that requires compliance with strict conservation parameters at every stage, from production to storage. In fact, even a minimal alteration of temperatures risks compromising its characteristics, nullifying the long and complex production work that is always exposed to the risk of extreme atmospheric phenomena and changing climatic conditions. The attention necessary to ensure high quality levels does not stop at the creation of the final product, but accompanies it along the journey it makes to reach the distribution network: here wine logistics comes into play, especially with regard to international shipments. One aspect, that of transport, to which Tenute del Cerro, the agricultural company of the Unipol Group, it looks more and more innovative and does so by focusing on a new device that can track shipments and provide information on any changes occurred during the journey.
This type of monitoring is essential for the yield of the final product upon arrival: it is not by chanche that the winemaker of the estates indicates for each shipment the optimal temperature at which the load must travel: thanks to the new device it is possible to know in real time if these conditions remain unchanged. We talked about it with Francesco Ceccarelli, Trade Marketing Manager of Tenute Del Cerro.
Wine logistics: the importance of product traceability during shipments
Dr. Ceccarelli, how did the intuition for this type of technology come about and how does it work?
"The need to monitor our wines during transport was born as a result of some difficulties encountered on international shipments, especially for those directed to Asian countries: due to the changed temperature conditions during the passage of cargo in complex areas such as Tropici, in fact, we have detected qualitative alterations of the product. And so we decided to look for a technological solution that would allow us to track the shipments of our product.
The answer came thanks to Innovation Lab, a company of the Unipol Group to which we asked if there was a device capable of measuring those fundamental parameters for the conservation of wine during transport. This is how we arrived at this small device that is placed between the cartons of a wine pallet: we program it by setting alarm thresholds, then, once the journey has started, the instrument, which connects to the GPS networks, monitors the temperature and the irradiation of light and continues to record even in the absence of a signal. If parameters are detected that exceed the set thresholds, the device warns us by sending an email indicating the date and time when the recorded values have moved away from the optimal ones ".
What does this technology represent for Tenute del Cerro?
"It is a device that we give to our distributors because in the world of wine the producer is responsible for the goods only within the confines of his warehouse, then everything that happens along the way falls directly on those who buy and we know that complications, especially during long journeys are often unpredictable. Thanks to this device we use an extra courtesy to our retailers and final consumers: if during the shipment the wine was exposed to conditions that may have altered its quality, today we are able to report it and to trace the origin of the problems".
The green-tech future of Tenute del Cerro
How does this technology fit into the wider investment that Tenute del Cerro has made in logistics and innovation, as happened with the Cerraie plant?
“The Cerraie winery is a very modern structure dedicated exclusively to storage: in this plant the temperature is constantly monitored to ensure that the properties of our product remain intact. This aspect is so important that the wine, before passing from the barrels or aging tanks to the bottle, undergoes a "rest" phase so that it can stably return to its organoleptic characteristics before the final bottling phase. So the principle is in some ways similar to that put in place with the new traceability of shipments: attention to the storage parameters at every stage is essential so that the wine remains intact and the production is not compromised by an alteration of temperature " .
What are the upcoming innovations on the technological innovation front?
“Like logistics, our agriculture is becoming more and more precise. In fact, within our estates we are already experimenting with a solution capable of managing the needs of the vineyards in a targeted manner. Thanks to the inputs received from a satellite mapping, the agricultural machines we use are able to treat every single plant according to its real needs. Let's take an example: if during the summer a storm occurs with consequent stagnation of humidity, it is possible that the vines face fungal attacks, but not necessarily all in the same way and with the same intensity: precision agriculture today it allows us to understand, plant by plant, what kind of impact external agents have had and to implement ad hoc treatments".
For Tenute del Cerro, therefore, the future is green, indeed techno-green and expresses an approach that combines great attention to environmental sustainability with an innovative and technological drive capable of leading the company and its products into a future that is here already reality.
