The verdict in three sentences
An 80-hectare estate that sells 60% of its output to the trade really runs three businesses: the cellar, excise compliance and B2B sales, often in three tools that do not talk to each other. Custom software costing 25,000 to 55,000 EUR excl. VAT links the cellar register, batch traceability, filings and per-client allocations, with go-live in 3 to 5 months. The most visible gain is about 2 days of filings saved per month, but the real lever is control over allocations and trade pricing.
Three businesses, one source of truth
In a wine estate, every movement of wine has knock-on effects. A blend changes the volumes of several tanks, bottling creates batches that must be traced to the client, and every release from the cellar feeds the monthly excise return and the accompanying documents. When the cellar uses one tool, accounting another and the sales team an allocation spreadsheet, gaps appear at the most expensive moment: stocktake or inspection. For a group managed from Singapore, with the estate in Bordeaux and buyers across Asia, the distance makes the problem worse.
| Function | Common situation | With unified software |
|---|---|---|
| Cellar register | Manual entry, monthly reconciliation | Each operation (racking, blending, bottling) updated live |
| Batch traceability | Batch numbers in a spreadsheet | Batch linked to source tanks, inputs and delivered clients |
| Excise filings | 3 days per month of preparation | Files pre-filled from movements, checked in 1 day |
| Per-client allocations | Spreadsheet owned by the sales director | Quotas by vintage and client, overrun alerts |
| Trade pricing | PDF price lists sent by email | Merchant, wine shop, on-trade and export prices per client, versioned |
| Export | Documents re-keyed for each shipment | Invoices, packing lists and certificates generated from the order |
Cost of winery software in 2026
The amounts below are 2026 orders of magnitude for custom development by a European team. They depend on the number of tanks, cuvées and sales channels, and on interfaces with existing tools (accounting, payroll, online sales platform).
| Scope | Content | Budget excl. VAT | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cellar register and batches | Tanks, operations, batches, stocktake | 25,000 to 32,000 EUR | 12 to 14 weeks |
| + Filings | Monthly excise return preparation, bonded stock, audit reports | 32,000 to 38,000 EUR | 13 to 16 weeks |
| + Trade sales | Quotes, orders, pricing per channel, invoicing | 38,000 to 45,000 EUR | 15 to 18 weeks |
| + Allocations and export | Quotas by vintage, export documents, multi-currency | 44,000 to 50,000 EUR | 17 to 20 weeks |
| Full version | All of the above + wine shop portal and management dashboard | 50,000 to 55,000 EUR | 18 to 22 weeks |
A realistic schedule avoids harvest and bottling: starting in January for go-live in May or June leaves time to test across a full filing cycle before September.
Allocations: where the margin hides
For an estate selling both to merchants and direct, allocations decide the margin. A cuvée over-supplied to merchants at market price starves wine shops and export buyers, who pay more. Conversely, a wine shop that does not receive its usual allocation moves to a neighbour. The software sets quotas by vintage and client, blocks overruns and shows live what remains to sell per channel.
| Channel | Share of trade volumes | Average price per bottle excl. VAT (order of magnitude) | Software stake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bordeaux merchants | 50% | 9 to 14 EUR | Honouring contracts and committed volumes |
| Wine shops | 20% | 13 to 20 EUR | Loyalty allocations, per-client pricing |
| On-trade | 10% | 14 to 22 EUR | Small frequent orders, reminders |
| Export importers (Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan) | 20% | 11 to 18 EUR | Documents, currencies, payment terms |
Mini case study
Wei Ling is managing director of a Singapore-based wine group that owns an 80-hectare estate in Entre-deux-Mers: about 450,000 bottles a year, 60% sold to the trade, or nearly 3.6 M EUR in B2B revenue. The estate team spends 3 days per month on filings and bonded stock, and allocations live in a spreadsheet.
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She picks the version with filings, trade sales and allocations for 48,000 EUR excl. VAT. The 2 days saved per month add up to 24 days a year, valued at a 350 EUR loaded cost: 8,400 EUR. If better allocation shifts just 1.5% of trade volumes from merchants to wine shops and export, at 4 EUR more per bottle, the gain is about 16,200 EUR on 270,000 trade bottles. Annual total: about 24,600 EUR, for a payback of roughly 23 months.
FAQ
Why not use off-the-shelf cellar software?
Standard cellar software, often 150 to 400 EUR per month, handles the register and filings well. It becomes limiting when you need per-client allocations, per-channel pricing and specific export documents on 60% of volumes.
Does the software replace the filing work?
No, it prepares files from actual movements and flags inconsistencies. Validation stays human, but preparation drops from about 3 days to 1 day per month.
Can we migrate past vintages?
Yes, migrating 3 to 5 vintages of stock and sales is common. Allow 5 to 10 working days depending on the quality of existing files.
How does traceability work in a batch recall?
Each batch is linked to its source tanks, inputs and delivered clients. If an alert comes in, the list of affected clients comes out in minutes instead of 1 to 2 days of searching.
Do we need a permanent internet connection in the cellar?
A mobile app with offline mode lets staff record operations in the cellar and sync later. This module is usually included from the 38,000 EUR scope upward.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your acreage, volumes, sales channels and current tools: we will price a scope between 25,000 and 55,000 EUR excl. VAT with a schedule that avoids harvest. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
