New technology aims to stamp out 'widespread' wine fraud

Producers are testing new technology aimed at reassuring consumers the wine they are drinking is, in fact, the wine they purchased.

Key points: Owner of Grosset Wines , Jeffrey Grosset, says consumers can hover over the cork to authenticate the provenance of wineTechnology being tested in Australia and the UKTravis Fuller of Kilikanoon Wines says wine fraud is commonplace fraud, which he says is a significant issue in the industry.

This isn't the first time Clare Valley winemakers have been named pioneers in improving the quality of their wines.

The region's winemakers, including Mr. Grosset, were hailed as the leaders of the screw cap movement more than two decades ago.

"As Australian winemakers, we value innovation and quality," he said.

"That's certainly what screw caps and what this latest innovation is also about. component="Figure" data-uri="coremedia://imageproxy/101783604">Jeffery Grosset says Enseal has been patented internationally. (Supplied)

"We designed around a traditional screw cap, which now has a chip inserted just under the top of the cap."

So how does Enseal work?

Consumers then use their phone to hover over the cork, and essentially, the chip will confirm that the wine and the label match.

Although Enseal is not yet commercially available, the technology is being tested in Australia and in the UK.

"It has been patented internationally, and we are in discussions with two of the largest screw cap manufacturers in the world", a- he said.

The chip will also allow wineries to move away from manual auditing and towards a digitized process.

Grosset said today more than ever, the need for product integrity is critical.

"There is more wine fraud than ever before," he said.

"The number of fraud, not just with Australian wine, but everywhere, is quite significant...