Just like fine wine, Winessense has depth and story. But before we explain what it does for every winegrower, let us tell you why we built it. To truly grasp what we offer, it is essential to understand us first and our values too.
Our decade-long journey has been the foundation of our success, so let’s begin there. All of this is rooted in the passion and dedication of our founders, who poured their hearts into building Winessense.
Our Story: From Passion to Product
The story behind Winessense begins with our team’s core identity as engineers. One of us had a personal interest in wine, but it was a friend’s request that sparked the idea for our product.
In 2015, a friend asked us to develop a tool to monitor his small vineyard remotely while he was away. As engineers, we sought a solution to this problem. At the time, existing weather stations and farm management software were limited, and cutting-edge research was not accessible to growers.
We discovered numerous studies on weather-driven disease development, grape phenology, and wine style, but no tools integrated these findings. Consulting with experts and university professors, we confirmed that growers lacked effective tools to improve their practices. Our attention was drawn to the phenomenon of microclimates in vineyards, which seemed to be overlooked despite its significance. No two vineyards are the same—even within just a few meters. That’s why Winessense focuses on microclimates, the invisible detail that defines your grape quality.
In 2017, two of us decided to establish Winessense and create a practical product that would revolutionise viticulture. The rest of the team joined later, and we faced numerous challenges, including simplifying data, developing durable sensors, and supporting our growing customer base.Today, in 2025, our team of 12 full-time employees and 5 external collaborators serves over 250 users and 150 vineyards. One of our founders makes wine and everything we do is tested in these smart vineyards.
“We continuously improve our product, refining it every week and every year.”
We are dispatching our Serbian-language newsletter to more than 1000 people every month to disseminate cutting-edge research to the winegrowing and winemaking businesses. As our multilingual database expands, we plan to introduce additional newsletter languages.
For you, your vineyard, or cellar, it’s not about financial gain. It is more often about sharing your unique story and the story of your wine. Still, you need money to keep going and expanding your reach. Similarly, our focus is not on profit, but on using our passion to make a positive impact on the world. However, we require financial support to continue with our endeavours.
How Winessense works
Winessense is a cutting-edge digital vineyard management system that goes beyond mere analytics. Our customers affectionately refer to it as a friend in and from their vineyard. And we are quite proud of that.
You can check out what our customers say about Winessense on our YouTube channel. There they share their experiences in their native tongues, which can be translated automatically.
Let’s dive into the details of how Winessense works and what it can do.
This innovative system consists of two main components:
- A set of sensors installed throughout the vineyard
- Paired with cloud-based software and a mobile app
The sensors collect data and transmit it to the cloud. The data is further integrated with forecast data. Our sensors are installed in the canopy, ideally using the trellis posts. They are powered by solar energy. This approach enables our sensors to directly measure the conditions at the exactly where the vines are. These detailed measurements are then processed in the cloud and presented in an intuitive mobile app designed specifically for winegrowers, and not for data analysts.
“With Winessense, you can focus on being a winegrower, not a data expert.”
While some users may need more detailed data, we recommend starting with monthly summaries and annual reports. These are your first strategic summaries that are fully auto generated. All the users look forward to receiving them and use them more and more as time progresses.
It’s essential to understand that data becomes more valuable over time. Especially in the context of Winessense and winegrowing. Bear in mind that the focus is to address the needs of winegrowers, aiming at disease management, phenology, and weather’s impact on grape quality. Therefore, both sensors and the software are able to create more and more value over time.
Going further we are in the process of adding an irrigation assistant. It will help you make informed decisions about irrigation based on the specific needs of your vines. This will enable you to craft your wine style with a deeper understanding of what your vines require. As for pests, we’re currently testing the European leaf hopper (Lobesia botrana) forecasting models on a few vineyards.
Key features and models
As time passes both we and Winessense evolve. Therefore, this post is to be updated from time to time. At the moment of writing this is what is available:
Sensors:
- Temperature&Humidity – Sensirion SHT31
- Rain – Pronamic professional rain gauge with 0.2mm resolution
- Wind Speed&Direction – Davis Instruments SKU-6410
Models:
- Leaf wetness
- Phenology development (BBCH scale)
- Fungal diseases (Downey mildew, Powdery mildew, Botrytis, Black rot and Leaf spot)
- Indices (WI, HI, BEDD)
- Leafhopper* (from 2026)
Special features:
- 7 days forecast
- Web application on demand
- Historical data
- Heat map visualisation
- Digital field record (with text and images)
- Notifications (weather, disease, phenology)
- Chronology
- Monthly comparative reports
- Annual reports suite (Protection report, Annual summary report, Annual field comparative report)
Is Winessense right for you?
If you’re still reading this piece, it’s likely we share common goals. However, you may still be wondering if this is the right fit for you. Various concerns are probably racing through your mind, such as the challenges you’re facing or the investments you’re considering for the upcoming season. You might be thinking that you can delay purchasing this system, and I wouldn’t disagree with you. In fact, many of our customers typically make a purchase later.
Our intention here isn’t to convince you to invest in Winessense, but rather to spark you curiosity on what could you achieve with your grapes and vines using the right data.
When we initially approached small, medium, and large growers and producers, they often responded with, “This isn’t for me.” The small ones said they didn’t have the time to analyse the data, which they saw as a task for larger operations. Conversely, the larger wineries claimed their processes were already optimised, and they didn’t need this system – it was for beginners. But in reality, we have users across all sizes.
Their primary concerns weren’t about the cost, performance, or whether it could work, but rather the pricing model and whether they knew anyone who was already using the system. But at the end our impression is that the fear of learning new tools is the main reason people step back after their initial contact.
Think of it like this:
1. Winessense is like a dishwasher in your kitchen. You can live without one, but once you have it, you wonder how you ever managed without it. It saves time, brings structure, and lets you focus on what really matters—just like Winessense in your vineyard.
2. Winessense is like a smart thermostat in your home. Before it, you guessed. After it, you optimize. It brings comfort, efficiency, and peace of mind—just like Winessense brings to managing your vineyard’s climate and disease risk.
3. Winessense is like a sleep tracker. You’ve always slept, but now you understand how well. It’s not just about doing the work, it’s about doing it better. That’s how Winessense turns grape growing into smart growing.
4. Winessense is like Google Maps while driving. You know the roads, but Maps helps you avoid traffic, save time, and arrive smarter. Winessense helps you avoid risks and navigate the growing season with precision.
5. Winessense is like Spotify’s personalized playlists. You always had music, but now it feels made for you. Winessense does the same—tailoring decisions to your vineyard, not general advice.
6. Winessense is like a weather app with radar and forecasts. You can look out the window, sure—but Winessense shows you what’s coming next, in due time to act.
7. Winessense is like a fitness tracker for your vineyard. It doesn’t grow grapes for you, but it shows you what’s working, where the stress is, and how to improve.
“Winessense is like a Garmin watch for runners. You can run without it, but once you use it, you understand your performance, your limits, and how to improve. That’s what Winessense does for vineyards. ”
Finally
Thank you for reading our story. I hope that we shed some light on our vision and our product. You can follow us on social media to get updates and track our progress. We are trying to beat the algorithms with regular posts.
“Winessense is more than just sensors and software — it’s a team of passionate people helping winegrowers take control of their vineyard’s future. Whether you’re managing a small family plot or a large estate, we’re here to support your decisions with data, simplify your daily operations, and give you the confidence to grow exceptional grapes. Follow us for updates, stories from the field, and future innovations.”
