SIMEI rewards innovation

The winners of the Innovation Challenge “Lucio Mastroberardino” 2024 have been revealed, the Simei competition dedicated to the most interesting innovations in technology applied to the wine and beverage supply chain.

The awards, which will be awarded during the inaugural ceremony of the 30th edition of the leading international exhibition for winemaking and bottling machines (12/11, 11.30 am, conference room Hall 2), reflect an increasingly competitive sector (almost 2, 5 billion euros in exports and more than 2.1 billion in surplus in the trade balance), innovative and oriented towards the rationalization of work and resources. In the foreground, research into materials and the use of artificial intelligence at the service of production that is increasingly respectful of the environment, sustainable and adaptable to the variable needs of the market.

Technology Innovation Award

The Technical-Scientific Committee has awarded the title of Technology Innovation Award to the most promising proposals on the technological innovation front. They range from a filter with a low carbon footprint for the treatment of wine and lees, the Flavy X-Treme 3 in 1 by Bucher Vaslin, to an automatic system for the filtration of highly concentrated liquids such as the Active Flow by Enomeccanica Bosio o La Semplice di Gamba, a mobile washing plant for the internal cleaning of tanks. Added to these are the EVO2-FERM by Parsec, a device for managing nutrition during fermentation, and the Prexa Infinity by Puleo, a pneumatic press with integrated nitrogen production for processing in an inert atmosphere. On the artificial intelligence and data collection front, P.E. are awarded. Labellers for TelescoPE, a system installed on labelers based on AI for data collection and processing, and Omnia Technologies for HMI i-Get, a human-machine interface for the efficiency of production processes.

Green Innovation Award

The solutions awarded with the Green Innovation Award stand out for their environmental commitment, this year being particularly lively on the packaging and closure solutions front. Amcor Capsules focuses on aluminum and receives two mentions for STELVIN® Goes Greener, a screw cap with a low carbon footprint produced with recycled aluminium, and Essentielle, a plastic-free sparkling wine capsule composed mainly of aluminum and then paper. Crealis turns the equation on its head with another completely plastic-free capsule, which wins the Green Innovation Award for Symbiosis, a capsule made from paper (primary component) and aluminium. Instead, it focuses on plastic Vinventions, reported for Nomacorc Ocean, a closure obtained with recycled plastic collected from the oceans. The Bertolaso ​​Recycling Gas System completes the category Omnia Technologies, a system for the recovery of technical gases in the bottling phase, and Frilli's Low Emissions Distillery | Omnia Technologies, a low energy consumption steam generator for distilleries.

New Technology

Riceve infine il premio come New Technology, X100 di Cork Supply (tecnologia basata su AI per la misura del tasso di trasferimento di ossigeno nei tappi), Fondi di Barrique in ceramica di Defranceschi (utilizzati per impedire difetti gustativi dovuti ai fondi non tostati e per riscaldare tramite induzione), WineScan™ 3 SO₂ di Foss Italia (una piattaforma di analisi rapida e multiparametrica), la  Valvola riempimento 206 di Gai Macchine (una valvola di riempimento per liquidi alimentari fermi come vino, acqua, succhi e liquori), AVAFERM® Spark di HTS Enologia (strumento per la gestione della nutrizione e dell'apporto di ossigeno in fermentazione); AromaLoc® di JU.CLA.S. (sistema per la limitazione della perdita di composti aromatici durante la fermentazione), Libero beverage e Libero wine di Permeare | Omnia Technologies (un sistema di dealcolazione con membrane semipermeabili), Heli-X® di PMH Vinicole (una pompa per mosto con basso impatto sull'integrità dell'uva), ALcryo Vortex 10 di Siprem International (un impianto di raffreddamento in continuo dell'uva pigiata e diraspata); WQS Nomasense O₂ di Vinventions (un sistema connesso di controllo e gestione dell'ossigeno durante la vinificazione) e Win&Fit di Win&Tech | Omnia Technologies (uno strumento per la misurazione automatica dell'indice di filtrabilità dei vini).

Finally, Cork Supply's X100 (AI-based technology for measuring the rate of oxygen transfer in corks) receives the New Technology award, Defranceschi ceramic barrique bottoms (used to prevent taste defects due to non-toasted bottoms and to heat via induction), WineScan™ 3 SO₂ by Foss Italia (a rapid, multi-parameter analysis platform),  the  Filling Valve 206 by Gai Macchine (a filling valve for food liquids still products such as wine, water, juices and liqueurs), AVAFERM® Spark by HTS Enologia (tool for managing nutrition and oxygen supply in fermentation); AromaLoc® by JU.CLA.S. (system for limiting the loss of aromatic compounds during fermentation), Libero beverage and Libero wine by Permeare | Omnia Technologies (a dealcoholization system with semi-permeable membranes), Heli-X® by PMH Vinicole (a must pump with low impact on the integrity of the grapes), ALcryo Vortex 10 by Siprem International (a continuous wine cooling system pressed and destemmed grapes); WQS Nomasense O2 by Vinventions (a connected oxygen control and management system during winemaking) and Win&Fit by Win&Tech | Omnia Technologies (a tool for automatically measuring the filterability index of wines).

With 575 companies and brands on display, more than 30 thousand square meters of exhibition space and foreign delegations from 32 nations, Simei is the leading event for winemaking and bottling machines. Among the new features for 2024, the partnership with Distillo - a fair dedicated to equipment for micro-distilleries which will hold its 3rd edition within Simei -, the first edition of Beer Forum, the "general states" of beer in Italy, and “The Oleoteca di Olio Officina”. To complete the overview on the wine side, Enovitis Business, an "indoor" event dedicated to vineyard cultivation technologies which, together with Simei, represents the only international trade fair for the entire wine production chain, from cuttings to bottles.