Nodes for wine

Wine lovers could notice a vast improvement in next year's Chianti, thanks to a new precision monitoring technique being used by vineyards in the red wine's region of Tuscany, which promises to make the entire grape production process more efficient.

Vine-Sense, being commercialised by Italian company

, a spin-off of the EU-funded

, is a wireless monitoring system that uses sensors to check soil moisture, air temperature and humidity. The inform- ation is posted on the internet, enabling wine growers from all over the world to access the data, helping them conserve water and reduce pesticide use.

Prof Gianfranco Manes, of the

and one of the GoodFood co-ordinators, said European growers are gradually moving towards incorporating monitoring systems into their ancient wine growing practices. However, he said, most systems do not transmit information over the internet.

Vine-Sense involves a network of sensors and nodes powered by AA lithium batteries that have an expected lifetime of three years.