Selartag, a French startup on a mission to digitally transform the world of fine wines, has developed an innovative system to streamline the often laborious and time-consuming task of managing wine inventories.
Traditionally, this task would occupy two sommeliers for up to two days each month, relying on pen and paper methods that often resulted in a 10 percent margin of error. Selartag’s founders recognized that such an inefficient process not only consumed valuable time but also risked inaccuracies in stock management—critical for high-end restaurants and private wine collectors who need precise control over their cellars.
To address this issue, Selartag developed a subscription-based solution aimed at restaurants, private wine collectors, vineyards, wine dealers, and distributors. This system leverages smart labels, handheld scanners, and scanner gates to drastically reduce the time needed to inventory wines while improving accuracy. By integrating RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology and AWS cloud services, Selartag provides a modern solution to an age-old problem.
Smart Labels and RFID: The Foundation of Selartag’s Solution
Selartag’s solution is built around RFID-enabled labels that can be scanned with a mobile device or ultra-high frequency (UHF) handheld scanner. This allows sommeliers to carry out inventories quickly by simply passing the scanner in front of wine racks, instantly detecting the bottles. The data is then transmitted via Wi-Fi to the AWS cloud, where it is updated in real time. This innovation reduces the time it takes to complete an inventory from days to just 30 minutes—an efficiency improvement of up to 99 percent.
Beyond inventory control, the system enhances security by tracking each bottle’s location, reducing the risk of misplacement or loss. In busy restaurants, Selartag’s UHF gateway scanner automatically logs bottles as they leave the cellar, eliminating the need for manual checks by waitstaff. For restaurants with cellars holding as many as 400,000 bottles, this automation is a game-changer, allowing staff to focus on more valuable tasks while ensuring wine stocks are always up-to-date.
Harnessing the Power of AWS for Scalability and AI Integration
Selartag turned to AWS Partner Eviden, a digital services company within the Atos Group, to build its solution on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The collaboration began in November 2022, with Selartag benefiting from Eviden’s extensive experience in cloud technology. Hervé Lemaire, Selartag’s president and founder, praised the partnership, noting that the flexibility and scalability of AWS were key to the system’s success. “We know that, thanks to AWS and Eviden, our application is ready to scale instantly when we sign up a large chain of restaurants or even a vineyard,” Lemaire stated.
The system is powered by Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) for scalable computing, AWS Lambda for serverless architecture, and Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) for its PostgreSQL database. This robust architecture ensures that the system can handle high volumes of data and scale rapidly as Selartag’s customer base grows.
Selartag is also exploring Amazon Bedrock, AWS’s AI-powered service, to add new capabilities to the platform. This will allow the system to offer data-rich insights, such as intelligent inventory forecasts based on historical consumption patterns, weather, and market trends. It will also enhance advisory functions for wine pairings and recommendations, helping restaurants and collectors make more informed decisions.
Improving Wine Service and Reducing Costs
The impact of Selartag’s system is already being felt in high-end restaurants, including Michelin-starred establishments. The solution not only speeds up inventory taking but also improves accuracy, reducing the margin of error from 10 percent to less than one percent. This has a direct impact on the restaurant’s bottom line, as it minimizes the chances of running out of popular wines or overstocking items that aren’t selling.
Selartag’s technology also helps restaurants optimize wine service. One of the next features planned for the system is a “find-a-bottle” function, which will guide staff to the exact location of a requested wine within the cellar. This added functionality, powered by Amazon Bedrock’s AI capabilities, will ensure that sommeliers can quickly find the right wine to pair with a meal, elevating the dining experience for customers.
As Lemaire explains, the possibilities are vast: “AI offers us so many potential possibilities for wine collectors, for restaurants, for vineyards, and for the whole wine supply chain.” The next wave of Selartag’s development will further integrate AI to offer predictive insights and enhance customer experiences.
Selartag’s Vision for the Future of Fine Wine
Selartag’s digital solution represents a new era in the fine wine industry, where technology meets tradition to create more efficient, accurate, and secure systems for managing wine inventories. By automating time-consuming tasks and offering data-driven insights, Selartag empowers its customers to make better decisions about their wine stock. The system’s flexibility allows it to scale across different markets, from small wine collectors to large vineyards and restaurant chains.
Through its collaboration with AWS and Eviden, Selartag is well-positioned to continue expanding its offerings and transforming the way fine wines are managed. The company’s vision goes beyond inventory control to encompass the entire wine supply chain, with AI-driven solutions that offer new growth opportunities for restaurants, vineyards, and wine collectors alike.
About Selartag
Founded with the mission of bringing digital transformation to the conservative world of fine wine, Selartag uses cutting-edge technology to improve wine inventory processes for restaurants, vineyards, and wine collectors. Its innovative solutions include RFID tags, handheld scanners, and mobile applications that allow users to track, authenticate, and manage wine stocks with unprecedented accuracy.
About Eviden
Eviden is a cloud-native digital services company created by Atos Group in 2023. It provides enterprises with solutions to accelerate digital transformation through cloud migrations, data management, and cybersecurity innovations. Eviden operates across 14 offices globally, employing over 47,000 experts in cloud technologies.