Custom vineyard management software
Appfront builds custom software for vineyard work. Plots, blocks and rows form the foundation, work and spraying are recorded on site, labour is tracked per block, and the harvest can later be traced back to the piece of land it came from. Get in touch.
What is vineyard management software?
Vineyard management covers everything that happens in the field between pruning and harvest. Which block was pruned when, which product was applied where and on what date, how many hours were spent in which plot, and what that ultimately yields. This is administration that is partly mandatory and partly the basis for your own decision-making.
It differs from software for the wine industry as a whole, which covers the chain from vinification through to sales. This page is about the phase before that: the plot, the crop and the work in the rows. In practice the two connect at the harvest, and that is precisely the point of integration.
Appfront builds this as custom software because the setup differs per business: one works with blocks and rows, another with plots and varieties, and the records you must keep depend on your certification.
The vineyard as a model
Plots, blocks and rows with variety, rootstock, planting year and number of vines, so every record lands in the right place.
Recording in the field
Work and spraying are recorded on site on a phone, even without a connection, rather than from memory in the evening.
From block to harvest
The harvest is traceable to the block it came from, with the work and the consumption of that season linked to it.
Vineyard or wine trade? Where the line lies
Appfront also has a page on the wine trade. The two meet at the harvest.
Work in the field
Plots and blocks, pruning, crop protection, labour and harvest recording. The question is what happens in the vineyard and what that costs and yields per block.
From must to sale
Vinification, stock, labelling and sales fall under software for the wine trade. If you work with ornamentals or other crops, see nursery software.
Our development process for your vineyard system
The layout of your vineyard is the model. We establish that first, because everything depends on it.
We map your layout down to the level you want to record at, along with the tasks you log, the products you use and the records your certification or the law requires. We also consider how field entry will work in practice.
We design the model of plots and blocks, the recording flows, the labour registration and the integration with the cellar or sales side, plus the reports you need for your certification.
We build in short iterations with automated tests, structured logging and monitoring. You see working versions along the way and steer the work based on what your team actually needs in practice, rather than on a specification written months earlier.
Controlled go-live with validation and a safety net, followed by ongoing management, monitoring and further development as your plot layout or certification changes.
What custom vineyard software delivers in practice
What is needed differs by business and certification. These are the components that come up most often.
Plots, blocks and planting
The layout of your vineyard with variety, rootstock, planting year and number of vines per block, including the history of replanting.
Recording tasks
Pruning, tying, leaf removal and thinning per block, with who did it and how long it took, forming the basis of your cost per block.
Crop protection
Applications with product, dose, date and plot, with monitoring of safety and waiting periods and an export in the format your certification requires.
Observations and growth
Phenological stages, disease pressure and observations per block, with photos, so you can compare seasons with one another.
Harvest recording
Yield per block with date, sugar content and destination, so that a batch in the cellar can be traced back to the ground it came from.
Working without signal
Input on a phone that stores locally and synchronises as soon as there is a connection, because in a vineyard coverage cannot be taken for granted.
Typical use cases in practice
The scale differs, but the pattern of block, work and harvest recurs everywhere.
Dutch vineyards
Businesses with a limited number of hectares for whom cost per block and recording for certification are the main reasons to keep records.
Vineyards with their own cellar
Businesses that both grow and vinify, for whom traceability from lot to block is the point of integration with the cellar administration.
Operators of multiple sites
Operators who manage plots in different locations, sometimes for third parties, and must be able to account for what was done at each site.
Other perennial crops
Fruit growing and nursery production share the same pattern of fixed planting, recurring tasks and harvest per plot.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology we use
The field input needs to work on a phone without signal; the rest is a standard web application. The exact choice depends on your processes, the systems to be integrated and your hosting preferences. We deliberately choose a stack your own team can manage and develop further, with no dependency on per-user licences.
Why choose Appfront for your vineyard system?
Appfront builds custom software for all kinds of organisations in the Netherlands. In vineyard and nursery record-keeping, everything depends on data entry in the field. A screen that asks for three actions while you're trying to get the work done leads to records that get filled in from memory in the evening.
That's why we design the field entry first and the reporting afterwards. We don't ask for anything that can be inferred automatically from time, location and user, and we build it so that it works without a signal.
On every project we write clear documentation and make sure your own team, or a future supplier, can understand and manage the system. No black box: transparent code and clear agreements on monitoring, alerting and maintenance. You own the solution and pay no per-user licence fee.
Take a look at our broader services around custom software development, software for the wine industry and nursery software. Unsure about the approach? Get in touch.
Security and data for your vineyard system
The records in this system may matter during an inspection, and the labour registration contains personal data about your staff. Appfront builds in line with the OWASP ASVS and with GDPR as the baseline, using role-based access so that an employee can record what they do without seeing the whole business picture.
For records that may be inspected, we log who entered what and when, and corrections remain visible rather than overwriting the original entry. In an audit, that is the difference between traceable and merely plausible.
More on our security approach: information security policy and CVD policy.
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Role-based access following least privilege
- Audit trail for viewing and changes
- Secrets in a secure vault, not in code
- Documented data flows for your record of processing activities
- Corrections visible alongside the original record
Frequently asked questions about vineyard management software
Answers to the questions we are asked most often.
You decide: plot, block or row. Recording in more detail gives better insight but takes more time in the field. In practice, block level works best for most businesses, with the option to record by row where it adds value, for example in trial plots.
Yes, we design for that. Data is stored locally on the device and synchronised as soon as there is a connection. In a vineyard, coverage is not a given, and an app that doesn't work then won't be used. Instead, entries get filled in from memory in the evening and the records end up inaccurate.
Yes. Which records you need to keep depends on your certification and on the rules governing plant protection products. We set those up and make sure the export matches what the certifying body asks for, so that an audit becomes a check rather than a reconstruction.
Yes, if you record labour and input use per block, which is the main reason many businesses start. You can then see what went into each block and what came out of it, and that forms the basis for decisions about replanting or variety selection.
At harvest, yes. We link the batch going into the cellar to the block it came from, so traceability stays intact. Whether we can also integrate with your existing cellar software depends on what that allows; we check this upfront.
Yes, the pattern is the same: permanent planting, recurring tasks per plot, plant protection with waiting periods, and harvest that must be traceable to the plot. We adapt the terminology and records to your crop.
It needs to be quick, otherwise it won't happen. We design the entry to take seconds: choose the block, tap the task, done. We don't ask for anything that can be derived automatically, such as date, employee or location.
There are international packages for vineyard management, often aimed at larger businesses and the regulations of their own country. Custom software pays off when your layout or certification differs, when you want to integrate with your cellar or sales side, or when you don't have the number of hectares needed to make such a package worthwhile.
Ready to get your vineyard management software built?
Tell us how your vineyard is laid out, which records your certification requires and what you currently keep track of on paper or in a spreadsheet. We're happy to help you think through scope, integrations and the first version. A no-obligation first conversation will give you a clear picture of the possibilities and whether custom software makes sense for your situation.