The race toward innovation in the oenological and bottling machinery sector is accelerating, driven by digitalization and automation. This trend was highlighted at SIMEI (held at Fiera Milano Rho from November 17 to 20) through the established “Lucio Mastroberardino” Innovation Challenge. Dedicated to the most compelling advancements for the wine and beverage supply chain, this year’s awards showcase an increasingly pivotal role for artificial intelligence in enhancing the precision and automation of production processes—driving efficiency that, in turn, fosters sustainability. Meanwhile, packaging solutions are evolving with a focus on safety, recyclability, and the preservation of the wine itself.

The 2026 edition features 4 “Technology Innovation Awards” for the most promising technological breakthroughs, 4 “Green Innovation Awards” for solutions that demonstrate a strong commitment to the environment, and 12 “New Technology” mentions for entries that stand out in key evaluation areas: technical innovation, efficiency and functionality, economic and environmental sustainability, ethical and social responsibility, ease of use, environmental impact, quality of the working environment, and the quality of the resulting oenological products.

The awards will be presented on Tuesday, November 17 (at 11:00 AM, Hall 4 – Conference Room) during the opening ceremony of the 31st edition of this leading international exhibition for oenological and bottling machinery. The winners were selected by a technical-scientific committee composed of university professors, technical experts, and representatives from companies that utilize such equipment.

Technology Innovation Award 2026

The “concrete balance between quality, efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability” earned the most coveted award for the Elyra project by Bertolaso ​​| Omnia Technologies—a bottling system featuring a compact tank and redesigned valves that reduce water consumption during cleaning, simplify maintenance, and handle various product types without compromising quality.

Meanwhile, the Disgorging Valve by GAI Macchine stands out for its “design ingenuity.” This multifunctional valve, used for processing sparkling wines after disgorgement, integrates topping-up, dosage, and leveling operations into a single device, while controlling bottle pressure to minimize foaming and wine loss.

Finally, an award was granted to HTS Enologia (Luigi Scavone) for its intelligent fermentation control. The company introduced IntraSense™—a sensor-equipped probe capable of real-time measurement, dosing, and localized physical intervention—alongside MetaFerm™, an adaptive management system that leverages data from past fermentations to optimize future ones.

Virtual5 di Omnia Technologies, infine, è un sistema digitale per l’automazione industriale che integra cloud, connettività 5G e l’impiego di tecnologie quali Intelligenza Artificiale, IoT e Digital Twin per gestire e monitorare gli impianti produttivi anche attraverso simulazioni virtuali, in un’ottica predittiva. Il Comitato tecnico-scientifico ne ha valorizzato il contributo in termini di “visione, ricerca e capacità di trasformare la tecnologia in valore per l’industria”.

Green Innovation Award 2026

Among those recognized for their commitment to sustainability is the Flavy FGCM filtration system by Bucher Vaslin, which enables the filtration of musts and raw wines with high concentrations of suspended solids, thereby simplifying processing and reducing water and energy consumption.

Also focused on energy savings is the GoLo™ wine dealcoholization system by Logichem; by utilizing vacuum evaporation combined with an integrated heat pump, it achieves a 70% reduction in power demand.

Two innovations were recognized in the packaging sector, specifically regarding capsules. “Altair,” introduced by Astro, is a tamper-evident capsule designed to facilitate the removal of aluminum from the glass bottle, thereby simplifying disposal and recycling.

Meanwhile, the Crealis Group has focused on material innovation with “Virtuo“—a capsule made from 100% recycled tin. It offers the same performance as traditional tin capsules while reducing CO₂ emissions during the production cycle by 61%.

New Technology 2026

Finally, the “New Technology” award is presented to: Enovision by 3U Vision, an AI-powered optical grape sorter; the “Stiratura Universale” (Universal Smoothing) label-finishing system by Acmi Labelling | Omnia Technologies; the LiOX VT technical closure for still wines by Diam Bouchage; the Ekinsa App by Equipamientos Industriales Ekinsa, a digital system for monitoring the washing and sterilization of barriques; the CR Racing press for whole or crushed grapes by L.A.S.I.; the AMHS System, a modular setup for capping machines by Nortan | Omnia Technologies; the Smart Valve System by Parsec for oenological temperature control; the Pop Guard safety ring, a cork-retention system for sparkling wines; the Clear Flow must-flotation system and the “Pressatura Pulse” (Pulse Pressing) technology for pneumatic wine presses by Puleo; the Nomasense CO2 C2000, an instrument for analyzing dissolved CO₂ in wine by Vinventions; and Winegrid – DataDriven, an AI-powered digital platform for oenological monitoring by Watgrid.

Organized by Unione Italiana Vini, SIMEI is a biennial international exhibition and the premier event for technology applied to the entire wine production chain and the broader beverage industry—covering wine, liquid food, olive oil, beer, and spirits.

The 2026 edition marks the debut of Bevertech, a new project dedicated to the “Liquid Food & Beverage” sector, developed in collaboration with Ipack Ima. This is complemented by further partnerships that expand the exhibition’s scope: a collaboration with the Consorzio Birra Italiana (Italian Beer Consortium), featuring the launch of the “Concorso Birra Italiana” (Italian Beer Competition) and a dedicated space for Italian-grown hops. the collaboration with the Oleoteca of Olio Officina for olive oil; the return of Distillo, dedicated to equipment for micro-distilleries, and of Enovitis Business, the international exhibition for viticulture techniques.