PRESS RELEASE: the grape harvest with artificial intelligence

The Grape Harvest with Artificial Intelligence: Tenute del Cerro Ushers in the Future of Wine

Oenologist Nardi: “Technology allows us to select grapes with a precision beyond the human eye”.
General Manager Donato: “We want to be a point of reference for those who believe that wine is culture, but also research and progress”.

MONTEPULCIANO, September 29, 2025 – The 2025 harvest at Tenute del Cerro marks a historic turning point: artificial intelligence officially enters the winery to support the work of the men and women of wine. Tenute del Cerro thus becomes the first wine estate in Umbria and Tuscany to introduce this technology, installing a next-generation automatic optical sorter capable of analyzing grapes and distinguishing in real time the best ones from those to be discarded.

This investment bridges tradition and innovation, with the goal of further raising the quality of the wines while ensuring increasingly efficient processes. “We began using this machine in the Fattoria del Cerro winery in Montepulciano (SI) during the 2024 harvest, but it is with the 2025 vintage that we can truly say we’ve made a leap in quality,” explains oenologist Emanuele Nardi. “The technology allows us to select grapes with a precision superior to the human eye, reaching accuracy levels of up to 90%. It is a silent yet powerful revolution: our aim is to process all the grapes through the optical sorter”.

At the heart of this innovation lies its self-learning ability: artificial intelligence recognizes the grapes based on parameters set by the technician, creating a customized “recipe” for each variety. “The machine works in our place, but it is still humans who guide the process,” adds Nardi. “Artificial intelligence does not replace human intelligence, it enhances it. The emotions of wine remain the domain of people — and rightly so”.

Highlighting the strategic importance of this choice is Antonio Donato, General Manager of Tenute del Cerro: “Innovation is an integral part of our vision. The new winery has been designed to integrate the best available technologies, and the introduction of the AI-powered optical sorter is a decisive step towards the future. It means ensuring consistent quality, enhancing vineyard work, and giving our customers the certainty of a wine that unites tradition and innovation. Tenute del Cerro wants to be a benchmark for those who believe that wine is culture, but also research and progress”.