An IoT barrel bung to monitor evolution wine elaborated under biological aging

Abstract

Wine aging is a crucial step in the elaboration of special and high quality wines as the sherry and like-sherry type wines are. Some of these wines remain in oak barrels during a long time period, subjected to the “biological aging” process, which is characterized by the maintenance of a yeast biofilm over the wine surface. This yeast’s layer protects the wine from the oxidation and contribute to its specific organoleptic characteristics. This work shows an instrumented bung for monitoring a set of parameters to control this wine aging process. Tests carried out in a winery over 5 months, under real conditions, prove that this device is capable of monitoring key parameters of wine subjected to biological aging in a wireless way, working autonomously for more than a year.