Is your wine fake?
The EU-funded TRACEWINDU(opens in new window) project was launched in 2021 with an important goal in mind: to create an innovative system that can certify the origin and quality of wines. Since then, it has developed a smart blockchain-based solution combined with chemical analysis to ensure the full traceability of wine along the entire supply chain, from vineyard to table. But why is wine authentication so important? Wine plays an important role in many European countries’ agricultural and food industries. Spain, France and Italy alone account for around half of the world’s wine production. However, this industry is threatened by counterfeit products and illicit trade, which cost the EU billions of euro in lost revenue each year and result in the loss of thousands of jobs. Counterfeiting is not only a problem faced by Europe’s biggest wine-producing countries, as the experience of Plantaže, a vineyard in the small Balkan country of Montenegro, can attest. With over 2 000 hectares, Plantaže owns Europe’s largest single vineyard and is a well-known brand in the Balkans. Sanja Radonjić, an oenologist working with Plantaže, describes the extent of the problem for this wine producer: “We have seen counterfeit versions of our wine in Albania, Kosovo, Russia and Serbia,” she observes in a recent ‘Horizon Magazine’ article(opens in new window).
Putting a smart label on it
TRACEWINDU’s fraud prevention system involves blending blockchain tech and chemistry to provide wine bottles with a unique digital tag that is almost impossible to falsify. “Blockchain technology is a trusted and immutable system to protect information,” remarks Gustavo Perez Gonzalez, a senior project manager at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), which is coordinating the project. Scanning the QR code on the label verifies all the wine’s unique details, including the origin and composition of the particular batch of wine, and information on its fermentation, bottling and distribution. The wine’s traceability is therefore guaranteed, helping to combat counterfeiting and boost consumer trust. Consumer confidence is paramount if the European wine industry is to maintain its high global ranking, not only keeping current consumers, but also attracting new ones. “Consumers want to know where products come from, who handles them and the processes behind their journey to the market,” states project lead Manuel Valiente, a chemistry professor at the UAB. “There is a need to satisfy this curiosity.” Valiente believes that partnering with wine cooperatives and global distributors could make the traceability system more impactful. “This could boost sales, particularly in premium markets, where authenticity is paramount.” TRACEWINDU (Traceability at wine industry through integrated labelling of typicality, health protection effect and organoleptic attributes) recently had the opportunity to showcase its achievements to date at the project trade fair held during the 29th International Information Technology Conference (IT 2025) in Žabljak, Montenegro. At the event, the team presented their work on blockchain, AI and smart tagging, and their value in enhancing traceability, transparency and trust in the wine value chain. IT 2025 also provided a valuable platform to exchange insights with other experts and explore future developments in the field. For more information, please see: TRACEWINDU project website(opens in new window)
Keywords
TRACEWINDU, wine, fake, counterfeit, blockchain, traceability, label