ECOticias reports on a four-hectare Ugni Blanc vineyard at Saint-André-de-Lidon in France where 6,000 movable solar panels have been installed above young vines to provide protection against extreme heat, hail and frost while generating electricity. The approximately €4 million agrivoltaic project is being monitored by the French Vine and Wine Institute, but the important trade-off is appellation status, as wine produced from the experimental vineyard cannot currently carry its usual protected geographical certification. Early performance claims come largely from the technology provider, so the project’s effect on grape yield and quality still needs to be demonstrated through actual harvest data.
Technology
-
AI and Drones to Modernise Viticulture in the Canary Islands
La Voz de Lanzarote reports that winegrowers in the Canary Islands, Galicia and Catalonia are joining the PENVITIS+ project to test artificial intelligence, drones and regenerative vineyard techniques on steep and difficult terrain. Backed by almost €600,000 in public funding, the project aims to develop AI models capable of anticipating at least 80% of pest and disease incidents, reduce phytosanitary treatments by 30%, and use drones to cut manual labour on steep vineyards by a similar amount. Trials will run through the 2026, 2027 and 2028 growing seasons, including vineyards with slopes reaching 70%, while regenerative practices will also be assessed for their ability to reduce heat stress, conserve moisture and protect grape quality as temperatures rise.
-
Europe’s Wine Sector Faces Slow Digital Transformation
AgTechNavigator reports that European wine is adopting more digital tools, but real transformation is being slowed by tradition, fragmented technology, connectivity gaps and long investment cycles. WineWayLab organiser Timofey Golovin argues that many wineries are adding sensors and dashboards without fundamentally changing production systems, while climate volatility, labour shortages and new regions such as the UK, Scandinavia and Belgium are increasing the pressure to adopt robotics, AI and precision viticulture more deeply.