Adding NFC temperature sensors to cases of wine “will motivate importers to verify quality conditions, give retailers more information to share at point of sale, and lead consumers to check the quality of what they are buying,” says the wine tracking specialist’s founder.
Franco-American firm eProvenance has introduced new NFC-compatible temperature sensors that have a fifteen year battery life and can be read through wooden cases of wine.
The sensors collect and log temperature data as a case of wine travels from a producer to the consumer as well as while it is in storage, in a warehouse or in the home. This data can then be collected from the sensor using an NFC phone so that owners can track their wine’s history.
“Starting with our 2008 vintage, we have an NFC tag on each bottle under the back label, which connects consumers to a video of our winemaker,” David Pearson of high end winemaker Opus One told an audience at WineFuture Hong Kong 2011. “Now we envision adding an eProvenance sensor inside each case to monitor the temperature for 15 years, allowing consumers with an NFC phone to read the entire temperature history with one click. The potential to connect with our consumers and to safeguard their wine is tremendous.”
“eProvenance customers are looking for ways to connect with their customers via social media,” explains Eric E Vogt, eProvenance’s founder and CEO. “Our technology opens up the potential for a higher level of consumer connection and brand interaction.
“Making this provenance data available will motivate importers to verify quality conditions, give retailers more information to share at point of sale, and lead consumers to check the quality of what they are buying,” he adds.
The new NFC solution was created by eProvenance and its development partner Near Field Solutions and won the Audience Award and a Silver Award in the Best Application Contest at the Wima NFC event in San Francisco last week. The solution builds on an existing eProvenence product that uses dedicated RFID readers to collect data on wines during distribution.
eProvenance was established in 2007 and already works with a number of leading Bordeaux négociants and châteaux, estates in Burgundy, wineries in California, importers in Hong Kong and wine merchants in London.
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