How Josef Chromy Wines Used AgTech to Reshape Vineyard Irrigation and Asset Management

In Tasmania’s cool-climate viticulture zone, unpredictability is the norm. For Josef Chromy Wines, located in Relbia, Tasmania this reality was sharpened in 2022 when new vineyard managers stepped into a mixed landscape of legacy vines and modern plantings. Faced with inconsistent yields, inefficient irrigation, and limited visibility of vineyard assets, the team sought more than just seasonal solutions - they looked for technology that could support smarter, long-term mana

gement.

Working through the F2F TEKFARM program, the Josef Chromy team took a farmer-led approach to identify and adopt a suite of complementary agtech solutions. The goal? Replace reactive decision-making with accurate, real-time, and integrated data systems.

Ag Logic provided on-the-ground support and installed weather stations and soil moisture probes, delivering vital microclimate and soil insights. This data fed into SWAN Systems, enabling the vineyard team to plan irrigation more effectively, based on actual in-block conditions. Simultaneously, Airborne Logic deployed drone-based NDVI and thermal imagery, helping to map variability, detect irrigation leaks, and identify low-vigour zones—all while saving countless hours of manual inspection.

A trial of Athena IR-Tech added an extra layer of microclimate monitoring, though the system proved less applicable in Josef Chromy's canopy-dense environment. Still, the experiment highlighted the importance of testing tools under local conditions before broadscale adoption.

Supporting Drought Resilience

This integration of environmental sensing, centralised scheduling, and spatial imagery directly contributed to drought preparedness. The vineyard was able to identify zones that needed less water, prevent overwatering, and proactively schedule irrigation during critical dry periods - all key to sustainable water use in a changing climate.

The results were tangible: increased yield uniformity, better water use efficiency, and improved team confidence. Most importantly, decisions could now be based on a “single source of truth”-- digital, real-time, and integrated rather than outdated practices or assumptions.

Reflecting on the project, Viticulture Manager Kellie Graham noted:

“This project has fundamentally changed how we approach vineyard management. From drone and GIS technologies to better water budgeting, we’ve replaced traditional, labor-intensive methods with advanced tools that provide valuable insights for long-term sustainability and efficiency.”

This case study demonstrates how a clear problem, combined with practical tools and trusted advisor support, can deliver scalable impact. For Josef Chromy Wines, it wasn’t just about adopting agtech, it was about adopting it wisely.

---

This program/project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.