Technology implementation
Equipment arrives and nobody sets it up or connects it to record-keeping. Selection, commissioning and training.
Precision viticulture
Weather stations with downy and powdery mildew risk models, soil moisture sensors, vegetation indices. Under local fungal pressure this translates into fewer sprays, which means direct savings and lower residues in the wine.
Oxygen and inert gas
Nitrogen and argon, closed transfers, dissolved oxygen control, inerting at bottling. The most noticeable gain in freshness for a modest outlay.
Cold stabilisation
Conventional chilling is energy-hungry. Alternatives such as CMC, potassium polyaspartate and electrodialysis are matched to the specific wine and fit the efficiency and sustainability funding line.
Water
The ratio of litres of water to litres of wine is usually very poor at small estates. Optimising cleaning pays back faster than almost anything else.
Record-keeping and traceability
Lot-level records, analyses tied to the lot, documents ready for audit. Without this, everything above remains a set of unconnected purchases.