WINnovation Awards were created by Wine Industry Network (WIN) to recognize the most innovative industry suppliers and service professionals, with the goal of celebrating the spirit of creativity and leadership. These awards honor companies that have developed ground-breaking products or practices and have made positive contributions toward the advancement of the North American wine industry.
“Here at WIN, we have the privilege of seeing the newest products and services on a regular basis, and I’m continually impressed by the level of innovation,” said George Christie, Wine Industry Network President. “In many cases, industry suppliers are the change agents that help winery and vineyard operations impact quality or improve efficiencies. The WINnovation Awards are a way for us to acknowledge the efforts of these suppliers and their contribution to the wine industry.”
The WINnovation Awards program was introduced in 2013 and each year’s winners are announced in November. See all the previous winners below.
2024 WINnovation Award nominations are now open. Entries are due by September 15, 2024.
2023 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Wine Industry Network (WIN) Recognizes 5 Companies with WINnovation Awards for Excellence in Wine Industry Innovation
- HotSpot AG: Taking the Mystery Out of the Fertigation Process
- Lumo: Helping Growers Fine Tune Their Irrigation Volumes to Provide Better and More Accurate Inputs for Their Crops
- Onafis: Real-Time Tracking and Monitoring of Wine During Fermentation
- Revida Water: Democratizing Wastewater Treatment by Updating the Rules of Possibility
- VinWizard: Delivering Accurate Brix and Temperature Measurements from Inside the Fermentation Tank
2022 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Winners of 10th Annual Wine Industry Innovations Awards Announced
- Agrology – Predictive Agriculture Technology Helps Growers Avoid the Risks of Climate Change
- Buckeye Corrugated Inc. – Buckeye Corrugated’s VinoPak — Curbside Recycleable and Cold Shipping Compatible Packaging
- GOfermentor: GOfermentor’s GOblend — Taking the Guesswork Out of Blending Wines
- Lamothe-Abiet: Lamothe-Abiet Excellence B-Nature — Naturally Reducing SO2 Without Risking Spoilage
- Simple Labs: Simple Labs’ COGNI — Monitoring Barrel Aging from Outside the Vessel
2021 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Five Companies Receive 2021 WINnovation Awards for Wine Industry Innovations
- AromaLoc: AromaLoc—Non-intervention Tech to Retain Natural Wine Aromas
- Quini: Quini—Data Analytics for Wineries of All Sizes
- RedChirp: RedChirp—Connecting Wine Brands with the Modern Consumer
- Solectrac: Soletrac—Electric Tractors Fuel Battle against Climate Change
- Tule Technologies: Tule Vision—Water Management with the Touch of a Button
2020 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Five Award Winning Innovations That Advance Winemaking and Wine Business
- ATPgroup: Wave Technology Offers Ground-Breaking Tool for Cap Management and Precision Vinification
- California Soda Company: Innovative CIO2 Mister Reduces Water Use in Tank Sanitization by 98%
- ConeTech: Improved Dealcoholization Technology Preserves Beverage Quality and Meets New Consumer Demands
- Liviri: Eliminating Weather Holds and Waste: New Cooler Ships Wine Safe and Sustainably Anytime
- VinterActive: Enterprise Level Automation and AI Marketing Tools Made Accessible to Wineries
2019 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Five Award Winning Innovations for the Wine Industry
- ConeTech: ConeTech Builds on Core Expertise to Solve for the Increasing Problem of Smoke Taint in Wine
- Enartis USA: Bolstering Grapevines to Handle the Effects of Climate Change
- GOfermentor: Pharmaceutical Technology Adapted for Winemaking Advances Wine Quality
- InnoVint: Groundbreaking Production Software Enhances Winery Efficiency and Bottom Line
- MASILVA USA: Innovation Advances Natural Cork Consistency and Quality
2018 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Five Wine Businesses Recognized for Their Innovative Advances for the Wine Industry
- BevStrat: A Pathway to Success in the Three-Tier System for Small and Medium Brands
- DIAM Bouchage: A Closure for Wines Committed to Quality and Sustainability
- Emetry: Consumer Behavior Data Now Accessible for Efficient Wine Marketing
- Prosurix: A Combined Authentication and Marketing Solution for Wine and Spirits
- VA Filtration: One Man’s Idea Becomes Leading Filtration and Remediation Solution for Wine Industry
2017 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Ingenuity and Technology Making Advances for the Wine Industry
- Amos Industrie: A Qualitative Sort That Looks Deeper Than Grape Skins
- Biome Makers: First Bio-Map of Wine Regions Enhance Understanding of Unique and Genuine Wines
- Liberation Distribution: New Company Rapidly Changing How 3-Tier Alcohol Distribution Happens
- Tule Technologies: Visionaries in Wine Grape Irrigation Forecasting Earn WINnovation Award
- Vivelys USA: Innovative Thinking Yields a Third Way for White-Winemaking
2016 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Five Wine Industry Innovators Honored with 2016 WINnovation Awards
- Cork Supply: James Herwatt, CEO Cork Supply: Sustainability and Cost of TCA-Free Cork Key in Competitive Closure Market
- eProvenance: Sophisticated Monitoring System Can Detect Temperature Damage to Wine in Transit
- Falcon Crop Protection: A Scary Invention
- Free Flow Wines: Free Flow Wines Sparkles with Innovation on Tap and Beyond the Keg
- O-I Packaging Solutions and Amorim Cork: Helix Closure Combines Tradition with Convenience for a Satisfying “Pop”
2015 WINnovation Award Winners
Announcement: Awards Recognize Importance of Wine Industry Innovators
- BlueMorphUV LLC
- Fruition Sciences Inc
- G3 Enterprises – Zipz Single Serve Package
- Nomacorc – NomaSense PolyScan B200
- Vintage 99 Label – iQdio
2014 WINnovation Award Winners
- Biofiltro USA: Wastewater treatment system
- G3 Enterprises: G-Ink
- Nomacorc: Bio Select
- Øeno Vaults: FLUX
- Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute: Wine Business Education
2013 WINnovation Award Winners
- Amcor Flexibles Capsules: New controlled oxygen-transfer-rate liners for Stelvin aluminum screw caps.
- Cascade Corporation: Cave- and narrow-aisle-friendly wine barrel attachment for lift trucks.
- CI Solutions: Designed custom gift and membership cards for the wine industry to better reward loyal customers.
- Cornish & Carey Commercial Newmark Knight Frank: The commercial real estate brokerage formed a Wine Services Group in 2011 and offers services such as site selection, strategic planning, financial analysis, lease negotiations, valuations, storage analysis, succession planning, production analysis, energy and utility audits, location optimization studies.
- Enartis Vinquiry: Three decades of wine lab analysis, the latest being proposed alternatives to allergenic wine fining agents.
- Loos Family Winery: Technological advancements to boutique wine production, including “methods and apparatus for cap management and mitigation of selected undesirable matter during fermentation.”
- Maverick Enterprises: New tools for marketing on bottle capsules.
- On-Target Spray Systems: Patented vineyard-management spray nozzle that uses static charge to accurately spray.
- Shur Farms Frost Protection: Led analysis of how frost forms in a vineyard and developed the Cold Air Drain device to help control frosty air.
- VinoPro: Developed high-tech solutions for direct-to-consumer marketing and sales. As a sales agent and marketing partner for large and prominent wine companies, the company now sells $12 million in wine a year.
