Whether your winery handles 5 or 5,000 tons per year, preparing for harvest takes time, sufficient planning, and financial investment (enter harvest intern expense). However, all these efforts can be compromised without an effective organization and management system in place. Labor remains a key component in winemaking; hence, it’s crucial to invest in improving operations to maximize your team’s potential and yield the highest quality product.
Although not all wineries share the same workflow procedures or winemaking styles, there are some shared ways to avoid many operational headaches. We spoke with some of our boutique producers, as well as some of our larger clients, on their secrets to maintaining, if not increasing, wine quality and preserving their sanity during this chaotic time of year. Here are some of the common themes among successful wineries:
1) Robust Vineyard Tracking and Growing Season Metrics
Track and access fruit maturity and phenologic data from anywhere, including right in the middle of your vineyard. Access to historical data can assist you in identifying problem blocks and crafting proactive strategies to ensure quality this year and in the future. Real-time insight into vineyard trends and seasonal data with strong vineyard management software is essential to maximize quality and be forward-thinking about future vintages.
2) Thoughtful Planning and Minimizing Errors
Plan your picks in advance using real-time vineyard data to ensure that you have adequate storage for your fruit. Moreover, structured processes and workflow supported by reliable SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) can minimize the scope for errors, which are often the result of overworked staff, particularly during the harvest season.
3) Digital Transformation for Quick and Accurate Tracking
Record Brix and Temperature readings into your winemaking software as soon as they are taken. This gives you instant access to identify any problem spots. Automate analytic uploads to make instant, time-sensitive decisions based on external lab results. Digital work orders and mobile entry of daily harvest information and cellar workflow can save you from the tedious task of updating records from paper-based work orders.
4) Empower Your Team and Improve Job Satisfaction
Why should your winemaker spend half their time maintaining spreadsheets when they could be focusing on the vineyard, tasting, networking, and professional growth? By investing in technology tools, like digital work order systems, production software notifications, or mobile apps that capture production data, you can make operations more efficient, saving time and money. Happy and empowered employees undoubtedly produce better outcomes.
5) Clear Labelling and Effective Cost Management
Label your vessels with pre-populated stickers containing essential information such as lot and barrel details, treatments, and recent analytics. Understand your COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) by tracking costs and using historical data to make better decisions that increase profitability.
6) Streamlining Compliance and Future-proofing Operations
Automate compliance reporting to focus more on your wines than on paperwork. Also, modernizing your operations will future-proof your business, ensuring that you’re prepared for evolving demands and standards in the industry.
Implementing a winemaking system like InnoVint can ensure you have the tools to create the best wine possible without the headaches. This powerful, intuitive system is designed to improve wine quality and streamline business operations – a winning combination.
Remember, the goal is not just to enhance the quality of your wine, but also to empower your winemakers, enabling them to get back to the craft they fell in love with, ultimately driving them to produce the best wine possible. Investing in your people and the right tools now will bring immense benefits to your winery in the long run.
