York Region winery using drones to monitor grapes and make deliveries

Stouffville winery using drones to monitor grapes A winery in Whitchurch-Stouffville will be using drones to monitor its grapes and deliver gifts.

A winery in Whitchurch-Stouffville will be using drones to monitor grapes and deliver gifts to people visiting the vineyards.

Willow Springs Winery, located near Highway 48 and Bethesda Side Road, is known for its international award-winning wine. But the business is looking to grow and has entered a five-year-deal with Huawei Canada to explore “smart-agriculture wireless technology.”

The winery plans on using drones to monitor the vineyard by checking the irrigation, for diseases and the condition of the grapes.

“Drones provide a really unique ability for small-scale agriculture in that you can collect very high-resolution data on demand when you need it, for a very low cost,” said Michael Burns with Global UAV Technologies.

For the winery, it means that instead of having to walk the rows each week to check on the quality of grapes, a drone can do it quickly and accurately.

“The drone scans the winery within 15 minutes and sends it back to a computer anywhere in the world,” Brittany Allum, a spokesperson with Willow Springs Winery, said.

The drone will also be used to deliver wine, gifts or glassware to guests onsite for weddings and other special events.

“Working with Huawei and our other technology partners we have been able to create a truly intelligent winery at Willow Springs, making innovative use of wireless applications to operate more efficiently and produce wines that are winning awards and drawing notice from around the world,” said Sheriden Huang, CEO of Willow Springs Winery, in a statement.

Drones are also being used by farmers to check on livestock and other types of crops, as well as to scare away birds. Companies that operate the devices believe their use will expand.

“The adaption by farmers and agriculture is just growing,” Burns said.

With files from CTV News Toronto's Pat Foran