Integrated Automation Framework Helps Produce Consistent Quality Wines

Making wine has always required a mixture of art and science. While the characteristics of the grapes can vary greatly from year to year with seasonal changes in temperature, rainfall, and other environmental factors, consumers today expect bottle-to-bottle consistency. Achieving that requires superior technical control over every aspect of the winemaking process, from cultivation and fermentation to blending and bottling. One of the most advanced process control systems in the industry can be found at the Oxford Landing Estate Winery on the northern edge of Australia’s Barossa Valley. The operation is part of Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family-owned winery and one of the country’s largest wine exporters. With 650 acres under vine, Oxford Landing’s winemakers micro-manage them as separate ecosystems in 130 five-acre blocks, enabling each block of grapes to be given exactly what it needs to achieve optimum flavor. Techniques such as detailed pruning, canopy management and crop thinning provide the winery with ultimate control in expressing the individuality of each block.