Sai Srikar Desina, MBA Candidate at Smith School of Business, Queen’s University (Canada), looks at how using AI can reap rewards for vineyards and help overcome the impact of climate upheaval, tweak quality, and solve the lack of skilled labour.

AgTech and Sustainability – Robots in the Vineyard: A new tool for Ontario growers by Sai Srikar Desina. First published in the Ontario Farmer Newspaper. With kind acknowledgements to Sai Srikar Desina and Smith Business Insight.

Ask grape growers across Ontario what keeps them up at night and you’ll hear familiar concerns: labour shortages, rising input costs, unpredictable weather, and growing buyer expectations. In vineyards, timing is everything. Harvest too early and grapes lack flavour; too late and sugar levels rise too high. In a business where reputation depends on quality, even a few days can make or break a vintage.

For decades, the formula for growth was simple: hire more workers, buy more equipment, expand acreage. But that model is breaking down. Labour is scarce, capital is costly, and margins are too thin to keep scaling the old way. That’s why some growers are now turning to robotics.

When Robotics Aligns Wine Value Drivers

A Canadian innovation, AgriVine AI Robotics, has developed a vineyard robot that goes far beyond harvesting. Equipped with advanced sensors and artificial intelligence (AI), it can assess ripeness cluster by cluster, detect early signs of disease, and forecast yields. Yet the real breakthrough lies not in automation but in decision support.

The robot delivers real-time insights on when to harvest, where vines are stressed, and how to deploy limited labour. It doesn’t replace farmers; it enhances their judgment, helping them make the right call at the right time.

Early trials in New Zealand demonstrated the technology’s power under real-world pressure. One Sauvignon Blanc vineyard achieved major gains in consistency and quality. By targeting the harvest window precisely, the grower maintained optimal sugar and acidity levels, producing a vintage that scored 96 points on international rating scales.

Behind that success is a simple insight: price alone doesn’t determine wine quality. Ripeness, uniformity, and disease control are the real value drivers, and robotics aligns all three.

AgTech Can Mitigate Scarcity of Labour

The Niagara Peninsula and Lake Erie North Shore regions face the same pressures as vineyards worldwide. Labour is scarce; many rely on seasonal workers who are increasingly difficult to secure.

One AgriVine unit can offset the work of five to seven pickers, reducing dependence on short-term labour. Quality consistency is equally critical. Ontario wines compete in the premium segment, where even a four-point rating lift (from 88 to 92) can significantly raise export value. At the same time, input costs for water, fertilizer, and sprays continue to climb.

Precision targeting reduces waste and lowers per-bottle production costs. The technology’s flexibility amplifies its value. Many Ontario grape growers also cultivate apples, berries, or greenhouse crops. The same platform can be adapted across crops, increasing return on investment (ROI) and resilience against market shocks.

Robots Won’t Replace but Amplify Human Expertise

AgriVine estimates each unit will cost $150,000–$200,000, a major investment but one that pays back quickly in high-value vineyards. Prices are expected to decline as adoption grows. Beyond the hardware, AgriVine plans a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.

For about $10,000 per year, growers receive predictive tools such as yield forecasts, disease alerts, and irrigation guidance insights that extend well beyond harvest. For premium vineyards, the return isn’t just labour savings. It’s the ability to protect brand reputation, sustain quality, and build export competitiveness in an uncertain trade environment.

Ontario’s grape and wine sector has always been resilient. Yet today’s pressures, labour shortages, rising costs, and trade volatility demand new tools. Robotics won’t replace farmers; they will amplify human expertise, sharpen decision-making, and unlock productivity from every acre.

In a world of climate change, labour constraints, and shifting markets, AI-enabled agriculture isn’t about replacing human intuition; it’s about extending it. For growers in Ontario and beyond, that consistency may prove to be the most valuable crop of all.

Useful links:

• Link up with Sai Srikar Desina on LinkedIn
• Read a related article: In Vino Veritas: Sustainability in the wine industry 
• Discover Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, Canada
• Apply for the Smith MBA.

Learn more about the Council on Business & Society

The Council on Business & Society (CoBS), visionary in its conception and purpose, was created in 2011, and is dedicated to promoting responsible leadership and tackling issues at the crossroads of business, society, and planet including the dimensions of sustainability, diversity, social impact, social enterprise, employee wellbeing, ethical finance, ethical leadership and the place responsible business has to play in contributing to the common good.  

• Follow the CoBS on LinkedIn
• Download magazines and learning content from the CoBS website downloads page.

Member schools of the Council on Business & Society.

• ESSEC Business School, France, Singapore, Morocco
• FGV-EAESP, Brazil
• School of Management Fudan University, China
• IE Business School, Spain
• Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India
• Keio Business School, Japan
• Monash Business School, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia
• Olin Business School, USA
• Smith School of Business, Queen’s University, Canada
• Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa
• Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
• Warwick Business School, United Kingdom.