Modern viticulture is becoming increasingly complex, as shifting weather patterns, disease pressure, and the need for consistent grape quality require growers to make faster and more precise decisions. Winessense is a smart vineyard management system and a vineyard monitoring system, designed to help growers understand what is happening in their vineyards using real-time data from in-vineyard sensors and predictive models.
Before we explain exactly what Winessense does, it is important to understand how it all began.
Like a good wine, Winessense has its own depth and story. Our nearly ten years of experience form the foundation of our success, so let us start at the beginning. Everything is built on the passion and dedication of our founders, who poured their hearts into building Winessense.
Our story: from passion to product
The story of Winessense begins with our calling as engineers. While one of us had a personal interest in wine, the real spark came from a simple request from a friend.
In 2015, a friend asked us whether we could develop a tool that would let him remotely monitor his small vineyard while he was away. As engineers love a challenge, we immediately looked into the available solutions.
At that time, most weather stations for vineyards and farm management systems were limited. In other words, knowledge about the impact of climate on disease development, grapevine phenology, and wine style existed, but it was rarely available in tools that growers could actually use. During our research we discovered something else crucial: microclimates within vineyards. Growers are aware of microclimates but were never able to measure and quantify them. They saw that one part of the vineyard ripens earlier, that disease symptoms appear earlier in another part, and that the wine differs from year to year.
No two vineyards are the same. Every vintage is unique. In fact, conditions can change dramatically over just a few meters. These differences in microclimate affect grape development, disease pressure, and ultimately wine style. Yet very few tools measured conditions directly where the vine grows.
This observation became the foundation of Winessense.
From idea to a working system
In 2017, the two of us formally founded Atfield and began building Winessense, a practical vineyard monitoring system that would help modernize viticulture through data-driven insights. Over time the rest of the team joined us, and we faced numerous challenges – from simplifying complex data to developing rugged vineyard sensors and supporting a growing base of users.
Today, in 2026, our team numbers 11 full-time employees and 5 external collaborators. Winessense serves 400+ users across 150+ vineyards in 9 countries. From the start we have worked with many growers and, together with them, in the vineyards they manage, we develop and test every new feature. On top of that, one of the founders has entered the world of winemaking, so he tries out every new feature in his own vineyard.
“We continuously improve our product, refining it every week and every year.”
Beyond product development, we also share knowledge. Our monthly newsletter in Serbian reaches more than 1,000 professionals in viticulture and winemaking, helping to distribute the latest research and practical vineyard insights. As our base grows, we plan to introduce newsletters in other languages in the future.
People who work in vineyards and cellars are closer to us engineers than it might first appear — we are united by the same obsession: the pursuit of perfection. You seek it in every cluster and every bottle; we seek it in every line of code and every solution. That is exactly why we understand each other so well.
When you work in your vineyard or cellar, you are not doing it just for the money. More often it is the desire to share your unique story — and the story of your wine. Our job is to give that story a tool worthy of it.
That is why Winessense is not a classic “manufacturer–technology supplier” relationship. It is a collaboration between two worlds that share the same value: doing what they do the right way.
How Winessense works
Winessense is an advanced smart vineyard monitoring system that goes beyond simple data analysis. Our users affectionately call it their friend from the vineyard. And we are truly proud of that.
You can see what our users say about Winessense on our YouTube channel. There they share their experiences in their native language (we have enabled subtitles, so you can translate them into your own language).
Let us dive into the details of how Winessense works and what it can do.
The system consists of two main components:
- a sensor network in the vineyard, placed directly in the canopy
- software (cloud-based) and a mobile application
The sensors continuously collect data from the environment, such as temperature, air humidity, rainfall, and wind. This data is transmitted to the cloud, where it is combined with weather forecasts and predictive models.
Unlike traditional weather stations, Winessense sensors are placed in the canopy, usually mounted on trellis posts and powered by solar energy. This allows the system to measure the exact conditions that affect the grapevine. All collected data is processed in the cloud and displayed in an intuitive mobile application designed specifically for growers, not for data analysts.
“With Winessense, you can focus on being a winegrower, not a data expert.”
In addition to the application, we send monthly summaries by email that compare the current season with the previous one, because it is still fresh and growers know what happened last year, so they can easily adapt to the new season. At the end of the season we send detailed annual reports with an analysis of the current season and a comparison with the previous one, which provide a strategic advantage. Based on them, growers can see the differences between plots and better assess suitability for a given wine style.
It is important to understand that data becomes more valuable over time – especially in the context of Winessense and viticulture. Keep in mind that the focus is on the needs of growers, oriented toward disease management, phenology, and the impact of weather on grape quality. That is why both the sensors and the software create increasing value over time.
Key features and models
Updated: April 2026
As viticulture and technology evolve, Winessense continues to expand its capabilities as a vineyard monitoring system. At the time of writing (spring 2026), the following is available:
In-vineyard sensors
- Air temperature and humidity – Sensirion SHT31
- Rainfall – Pronamic professional rain gauge, 0.2 mm resolution
- Wind speed and direction – Davis Instruments SKU-6410
- Soil temperature and moisture sensors (from 2026) – Teros 11 or Teros 12
Vineyard models
- Leaf wetness
- Phenological stage development (BBCH scale)
- Fungal diseases (downy mildew, powdery mildew, gray mold/botrytis, black rot, and leaf spot)
- Indices (WI – Winkler Index, HI – Huglin Index, BEDD – biologically effective degree days)
- European grapevine moth
- Leafhoppers (from 2027)
Additional features
- 7-day weather forecast
- On-demand web application
- Historical data
- Heat-map visualization
- Digital plot diary (with text and photos)
- Notifications (weather, diseases, phenology)
- Event timeline
- Monthly comparison reports
- A set of annual reports (protection report, annual summary report, annual plot-by-plot comparison report)
We are currently developing an irrigation assistant, which will help growers optimize irrigation decisions based on vine needs and vineyard conditions.
In addition, we are testing a forecasting model for leafhoppers (Scaphoideus titanus), which will be available from 2027.
Why do microclimates in vineyards matter?
One of the core ideas Winessense is built on is the importance of microclimates within vineyards.
Conditions within the vine canopy can vary significantly over short distances. These differences affect grapevine growth, disease pressure, and grape ripening.
By monitoring the microclimate directly within the vine, growers gain a deeper understanding of how their vineyard behaves throughout the season.
Read our previous blog post 3 Unexpected Facts About Microclimates in Vineyards to learn more about this topic. This is a key concept in precision viticulture, where decisions are made based on detailed data rather than general assumptions.
Who uses Winessense?
When we first introduced Winessense to growers, the reactions were interesting.
Smaller growers often thought such tools were intended only for large wineries with viticulture experts. Larger wineries sometimes felt their processes were already optimized.
In reality, Winessense is found in vineyards of all sizes.
We discovered that the main obstacle rarely lies in price or technology. Instead, many growers hesitate because learning a new tool can seem daunting.
But once they start using Winessense, many realize that it quickly becomes an integral part of their day-to-day vineyard management.
Associations and shared equipment
Associations of several smaller growers can share equipment. We have developed microclimate models that allow us to model the microclimate of a particular region through strategic sensor placement. The project was carried out with the support of the Innovation Fund and the municipality of Aleksandrovac, and was tested in the vineyards of Župa. We proved that the models work and make it possible to reduce the initial investment in equipment.
What it feels like to use Winessense
Winessense is like the dishwasher in your kitchen. You can live without it, but once you have one, you wonder how you ever managed without it. It saves time, brings order, and lets you focus on what really matters – just like Winessense in your vineyard.
Winessense is like the smart thermostat in your home. Before it, you guessed. After it, you optimize. It brings comfort, efficiency, and peace of mind – just as Winessense does in managing climate and disease risk in your vineyard.
Winessense is like Google Maps while you drive. You know the roads, but Maps helps you avoid traffic, save time, and arrive more easily. Winessense helps you avoid risks and navigate the growing season with precision.
Winessense is like a weather app with radar. You can look out the window, true – but Winessense shows you what is coming, in time to react.
“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 is what Winessense does for vineyards. ”
Is Winessense the right choice for your vineyard?
If you are still reading this, it is very likely that you are interested in how better data could improve the management of your vineyard.
Our goal here is not to convince you to buy Winessense right away. Many of our users actually decide to adopt the system later, once they see how it fits into their way of working.
Instead, our intention is to spark your curiosity. What could you achieve with your vines and grapes if every single day you had a deeper understanding of what is happening in your vineyard?
The future of smart viticulture
Winessense is much more than a set of sensors and software.
It is a team of passionate engineers and wine lovers working to make data-driven viticulture accessible to growers.
Whether you run a small family vineyard or a large estate, our goal is simple:
- to help you better understand your vineyard
- to simplify everyday decisions
- to reduce disease risk
- to support the production of exceptional grapes
Follow us on social media to stay up to date with new features, stories from the field, and the future of vineyard monitoring systems.
