In May 2025, Porto will once again host a milestone event for the global wine and olive oil industries—the 4th Science & Wine World Congress. This prestigious gathering will bring together experts, practitioners, and stakeholders to discuss how energy, sustainability, and the green transition are shaping the future of viticulture and olive oil production.
With climate change posing an ever-growing challenge to agriculture, this year’s congress will focus on innovative practices, technological advancements, and policy frameworks that promote sustainable production. The event will feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange between industry leaders and researchers.
One of the most anticipated speakers is David Carter, co-founder and CEO of Deep Planet, a pioneering company that harnesses AI-driven solutions for sustainable wine production. Deep Planet’s work exemplifies how data and technology can help growers, winemakers, and regional associations adapt to, mitigate, and even reverse the effects of climate change.
David Carter and Deep Planet: Pioneering AI for Climate-Resilient Wine Production
David Carter’s journey into the wine industry was anything but conventional. Originally from Australia, Carter spent 16 years at IBM, specializing in AI, data analytics, and satellite imaging. His expertise in these fields laid the foundation for Deep Planet, which he co-founded in 2018 as part of the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Accelerator—a program designed to develop climate-focused solutions using satellite data.
Deep Planet’s most advanced solution, VineSignal, is an AI-powered vineyard decision support platform, providing cost-efficient and scalable precision agriculture tools for winemakers, growers, and regional associations. Currently, VineSignal is monitoring over 80,000 hectares of vineyards and providing insights to over 200 users worldwide. Through commercial and R&D partnerships with over 60 producers, researchers, and industry organizations, Deep Planet is helping to improve vineyard and soil health, optimize harvest logistics, and scale up precision viticulture.
David Carter
How Deep Planet’s AI is Revolutionizing the Wine Industry
Wine grapes are often referred to as the “canary in the coalmine for climate change” due to their extreme sensitivity to weather and environmental conditions. Rising temperatures and unpredictable climate patterns are threatening the viability of vineyards worldwide. Some projections suggest that by 2050, up to 75% of current vineyard areas could shrink, drastically altering global wine production.
Deep Planet aims to mitigate these risks by using artificial intelligence, satellite imaging, and machine learning to provide actionable insights that improve sustainability and productivity. The VineSignal platform offers comprehensive monitoring tools in four key areas:
1. Soil Health and Input Management
- Remote detection of soil organic carbon and nutrients (NPK) – Helps growers visualize soil variability and optimize compost and fertilizer applications.
- Soil moisture interpolation and prediction – Uses satellite imagery and evapotranspiration monitoring to guide irrigation scheduling, reducing water waste.
2. Vineyard Health Monitoring
- High-resolution satellite imagery (10m, 3m, 0.5m resolutions) – Tracks changes in vine health on a weekly and monthly basis, reducing the need for physical field visits.
- Automated anomaly detection – Identifies threats such as frost, disease, hail, heat damage, and irrigation leaks faster than manual vineyard inspections.
3. Harvest Logistics and Grape Quality
- Accurate harvest date predictions – Uses historical and real-time data to coordinate harvest logistics efficiently and optimize grape sugar levels, saving €2–€20 per bottle in reworking costs.
- Maturity and quality variability mapping – Helps winemakers identify ideal sampling locations and plan selective harvesting strategies.
- Yield prediction and variability maps – Improve winery intake and supply planning, identifying vineyard zones with lower productivity.
4. Large-Scale/Regional Monitoring
- Vineyard detection and mapping – Enables regional associations and cooperatives to monitor vineyard locations and assist members with certification and technology adoption.
- Climate impact monitoring – Detects damage from extreme weather events (frost, disease, heat, hail, flooding, irrigation leaks), allowing rapid response at a regional level.
By integrating these tools, VineSignal provides a holistic approach to vineyard management, supporting more sustainable and cost-effective decision-making.
Deep Planet’s Contribution to Sustainable Wine Production
The environmental and financial benefits of Deep Planet’s precision viticulture approach are undeniable:
- Lower Environmental Impact – By reducing water waste, optimizing chemical inputs, and minimizing CO₂ emissions, Deep Planet helps winemakers produce high-quality wine with a smaller carbon footprint.
- Economic Efficiency – VineSignal has already enabled savings of €45 per ton of grapes and helped upgrade wine quality by €2–€20 per bottle.
- Scalable Regional Impact – Deep Planet has conducted vineyard scans for regional industry bodies like Wine Australia and Riverland Wine, enabling widespread technology adoption across entire wine-growing regions.
However, challenges remain. One of the biggest hurdles is technology adoption—while large-scale producers are often eager to embrace AI-driven viticulture, small and mid-sized vineyards may be hesitant. To overcome this, Deep Planet actively collaborates with regional associations and cooperatives, making precision viticulture tools more accessible to smaller growers.
Figure 2. Remote evapotranspiration monitoring on Deep Planet’s VineSignal platform
Read all at:https://www.deepplanet.ai/blog/how-to-optimize-vineyard-water-use-through-hands-off-evapotranspiration-monitoring
The Future of Deep Planet and VineSignal
As Deep Planet continues to expand, it is actively improving VineSignal’s features and developing new AI tools to further enhance precision viticulture. The next steps for the company include:
- Enhancing predictive insights – Beyond just providing data, Deep Planet aims to develop prescriptive AI models that recommend actionable steps to growers.
- Strengthening partnerships – Collaborating with more research institutions, industry associations, and wineries to refine AI models and increase adoption.
- Advancing data collection – Improving the accuracy of satellite and sensor-based monitoring by working closely with growers to collect higher-quality vineyard data.
With continued support from organizations such as the European Space Agency, Copernicus Incubation, H2020, and Innovate UK, Deep Planet is poised to lead the AI revolution in sustainable viticulture.
Why David Carter and Deep Planet Matter at the 4th Science & Wine World Congress
David Carter and Deep Planet are a perfect example of how innovation, AI, and sustainability can work hand in hand to transform the way wine is produced.
The 4th Science & Wine World Congress is more than just a conference—it is a call to action for the wine and olive oil industries to embrace a sustainable, data-driven future.
By integrating science, technology, and policy, this event will shape the next generation of sustainable agricultural practices, ensuring that wine and olive oil production can thrive in a changing climate.
Join us in Porto this May and be part of the green transition in agriculture.
For more information, visit: https://www.science-and-wine-conferences.com/