Counterfeiting of good wines, is a big problem for the wine industry which sees cheaper fake knock off bottles, particularly of red wines, sold at higher prices with the proceeds accruing to the fraudsters and not the vintners or distributors.

An Italian Piedmont winery, Vigneti Massa, is using blockchain-enabled caps with near-field communication (RFID chips) with its 2018 vintage to overcome counterfeiting while giving consumers added benefits.

Use of the near field cap helps in the fight against counterfeiting and the “black market” for wines as fakes without blockchain validation will be easily detected. Use of the blockchain can help assure product authenticity and traceability. The authenticity of the wine can be verified as the closures are linked with a blockchain platform that provides a unique identification code for each bottle.

The technology allows consumers to tap a smartphone against the bottle’s screw-cap and get information about  the wine-growing region, the vineyard, and the vine that the wine came from, as well as tasting notes and expert reviews.

As reported by The Drinks Business on Jan. 22, Vigneti Massa is the first winery in Europe, and the second world-wide to use Guala Closures Nestgate technology that is blockchain enabled. Guala developed the technology with Luxembourg-based software company, Compellio  California’s Böen, part of Copper Cane Wines & Provisions in the US was the first American company to adopt the system.

The vintners assert that the aluminum closure, in which the RFID pattern is embedded is completely neutral, and provides protection and product traceability over time. The new closures do not affect the wine bouquet, odours or wholesomeness of the wine.

The NFC caps have already been presented to other wine makers in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, Great Britain, Scandinavia, USA, Russia, Japan, Korea and Singapore.  Many will likely adopt the new cap system throughout 2020 and 2021.

Not only can the caps help reduce counterfeiting of wine but it could be used for other products such as olive oil, spirits, champagnes and other expensive liquids.

Governments regulators overseeing food (and drink) safety and counteracting fraud have long sought a workable traceability system with several “farm to fork” tracking systems.  Guala Closures Nestgate technology can provide such a workable traceability system for many consumer food products.