The Tenuta dell'Ornellaia estate in Tuscany aims to make life difficult for product pirates, equipping its top-of-the range wines with a Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID).

The Tenuta dell'Ornellaia hopes to protect its customers to the best of its ability against copiers and fraudulent product pirates. Starting with the 2006 vintage, the Masseto, and as of the 2007 vintage this applies to the Ornellaia, the bottles will be provided with the Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID). This system has two functions: on the one hand, it allows you to trace the distribution of the wines, in order to prevent any black market activity, and on the other hand it provides a guarantee of authenticity.

The RFID system consists of an electronic chip, or TAG, included in the back label, with a special system installed at the point of despatch. Each label is allocated a separate unique identification number, linked to the electronic parts of the labelling machine and the warehouse gates. This makes it possible to save and trace information from the chip in the despatch resp. customer data bank. The RFID number is clearly legible on the back label of the bottle.

So far, only the wines destined for the North Aemrican market have been excluded from the chip programme, if the system proves successful in practice, the Tenuta dell'Ornellaia (as of the 2008 vintage for Ornellaia and from the 2007 vintage for the Masseto) plans to protect the entire production of its flagship wines with RFID. (WF/press release)