Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of LVMH, Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), a global semiconductor leader, and the University of California, Davis, a world-renowned research university, have announced a joint initiative to enhance wine quality and support the long-term vitality of vineyards.
The collaboration builds on technology rooted in early research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). ADI continues to develop this platform for analysing chemical signatures across a broad range of applications. Together with teams from Moët Hennessy and UC Davis, it is exploring its use in viticulture and winemaking. The initiative aims to detect and interpret volatile chemical signatures emitted by grapevines, juice and wine, giving teams earlier insights into biological processes and potential quality risks.
A world-first demonstration: predicting fresh mushroom aroma before it develops
The collaboration’s first major achievement addresses one of the wine industry’s most complex quality challenges: fresh mushroom aroma (FMA). Researchers at Moët Hennessy’s Robert-Jean de Vogüé Research Centre have built a unique library of samples and associated data to train machine learning algorithms to recognise chemical signatures associated with this quality risk.
For the first time, the technology successfully identified samples at elevated risk of developing FMA at an early stage, well before the defect would traditionally be detected. This breakthrough opens new possibilities for proactive quality management, enabling earlier interventions and changing how quality risks may be monitored throughout winemaking.
Powered by ADI’s sensing and machine learning platform, the system analyses a broad spectrum of chemical information and uses AI to identify the most relevant signals, revealing patterns that might otherwise go undetected. Rather than looking only for predefined conditions, the platform continuously learns from complex chemical data, enabling a deeper understanding of biological activity and emerging quality risks.
A technology platform with multiple potential applications
Beyond FMA, the organisations view the technology as a scalable platform for analysing living systems, with potential applications wherever biological processes generate chemical signatures that can be measured, interpreted and acted upon. Further applications under investigation include early detection of vine diseases, soil assessment and identification of other defects, particularly those linked to climate change and related events, such as wildfires.
The goal is to support human expertise by equipping researchers, viticulturists and winemakers with tools that enable earlier detection and deeper insights. The technology provides additional information and context while preserving the craftsmanship, experience and judgement central to exceptional winemaking.
An international collaboration combining technology, AI and life sciences
The initiative brings together complementary expertise from:
- Moët Hennessy, the world leader in premium and super-premium wines and spirits.
- ADI, a global semiconductor leader bridging the physical and digital worlds to enable breakthroughs at the Intelligent Edge, and ADI Health Solutions, its business unit developing AI-driven solutions that contribute to the health of people and the planet.
- UC Davis, internationally recognised as a leader in viticulture and oenology.
Together, the organisations aim to develop new capabilities for observing, understanding and interpreting the complex grape and wine matrix to support quality and resilience across the wine industry. Beyond this initial collaboration, ADI intends to make the technology broadly available for future industrial applications. Moët Hennessy and UC Davis are also exploring how shared reference libraries could benefit the wider grape and wine industry.
Manuel Reman, member of the Moët Hennessy Executive Committee overseeing R&D and member of the Comité Champagne, said: “This breakthrough marks the beginning of a new chapter for viticulture and winemaking. We can rapidly detect and interpret the chemical language of grapes and wine to anticipate quality risks before they become visible. Beyond a technological achievement, this opens an entirely new way of understanding and working, one that will help us produce exceptional wines while building greater resilience for the future.”
Max Shulaker, Chief of ADI’s Health Solutions Business Unit, said: “This collaboration unites world-class expertise in cutting-edge AI-enabled sensing systems and viticulture to accomplish something previously impossible: reading the chemical language that living systems emit themselves. By recognising these signatures before conventional methods can, this technology can help winemakers shift from reacting to quality risks to anticipating them. Our first breakthrough addresses fresh mushroom aroma, but it marks the beginning of a much broader platform for understanding living systems, one that can improve quality and resilience in ways that are just now being explored and unlocked.”
Ben Montpetit, PhD, UC Davis, said: “In the face of major global challenges, the continued advancement and resilience of the grape and wine sectors will depend on two things: better knowledge and people equipped to put that knowledge into practice. What is especially powerful about this collaboration is that we are advancing both. We are developing technology that can give viticulturists and winemakers the right information at the right time to make informed decisions, while also training the next generation of experts who will know how to interpret and act on those insights.”
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