Giving winemakers the tools to better practice their art
BarrelWise has developed a system that makes managing wine barrels simple. It allows barrel topping, sampling, sulphating, and chemical analysis to occur in one interaction, all without ever opening the barrel.
"I was impressed by the concept, and somewhat surprised by how much time saving it demonstrated. The system showed potential to significantly optimise barrel care processes, delivering labour savings, and improving consistency. The ability to keep the barrels closed is another benefit for us at Sandhill.
This makes for a safer environment for the wine, reducing risks of microbial contamination, and gives me added confidence that our wine is protected."
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- Sandy Leier
Head Winemaker
What We Do
Company Overview
BarrelWise Technologies Ltd. is a Vancouver-based company providing technology to enhance wine production and analysis. BarrelWise was started in 2018 by three MBAs and two PhD Mechanical Engineers at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
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Winemaking Today: An Art, a Science… and an Opportunity
Wine has been made for thousands of years and today parts of its processes remain artisanal. One of those processes is barrel ageing, key to adding flavour, texture and complexity to wines. During the ageing process 5-10% of the liquid is lost annually due to evaporation. This is commonly known as “angel share”, and can be a big problem for winemaking because the empty space resulting from evaporation (ullage or headspace) facilitates the growth of bacteria and poses risks to wine quality. To address this, wineries need to sample, top and add sulphur dioxide regularly (every 15-30 days). For wineries with hundreds or thousands of barrels, taking care of barrels implies significant labour and equipment costs and represent a constant risk for wine quality.
The BarrelWise Solution
BarrelWise is developing a system that mitigates these risks, provides operational efficiencies and ultimately allows winemakers to protect and enhance the quality of their wines. The company is currently part of the Hatch accelerator programme at UBC and has the support of seasoned business advisors and mentors with a breadth of experience in agriculture, industrial design and entrepreneurship.
