California-based RFID- and BLE-enabled IoT specialist Identiv has introduced NFC-based anti-counterfeiting smart packaging for luxury wine producers and collectors in collaboration with Zatap and Genuine-Analytics.

With global wine fraud estimated to impact as much as 20% of bottles in circulation, the partnership between Identiv, Zatap and Genuine-Analytics is setting a standard in wine authentication using wireless IoT, digital certificates and blockchain to verify not just the bottle, but the wine inside.

This innovation combines secure NFC technology, non-invasive content testing and blockchain-based digital identity, enabling near-instant verification of a wine’s authenticity and protecting a brand’s value, reputation and consumer trust.

At a Swiss wine auction in 2024, the partnership’s offering successfully authenticated a series of rare, high-value vintages, with some bottles priced at over 20,000 Swiss Francs. It even detected a counterfeit bottle, reinforcing the platform’s potential for broader adoption.

“This is the future of wine authentication,” said Klaus Simonmeyer, vice President at Identiv (identiv.com). “With our NFC inlays designed specifically for the unique properties of wine bottles, Genuine-Analytics’ ground-breaking analysis of wine contents, and Zatap’s digital-twin technology, we’re able to confirm not only that a wine bottle is authentic, but so is the wine inside.”

This collaboration establishes an immutable digital link between a physical bottle of wine, its contents and its authenticated, digital twin hosted on an IoT-based blockchain. The integration includes Identiv’s secure NFC inlays Powered by NTag 424 DNA TagTamper security-certified chips from Dutch IC provider NXP (www.nxp.com), they are built to detect tampering and link each bottle to its digital identity.

Swiss firm Genuine-Analytics’ scientific content analysis is validated against its proprietary WineProof database.

Zatap’s mobile interface communicates with blockchain infrastructure, providing real-time authentication and provenance data to buyers and sellers.

To authenticate a wine bottle’s contents, Genuine-Analytics uses a microscopic laser-drilled hole to test the wine inside the bottle against its proprietary WineProof database. Once verified, a GA Safety Tag custom-designed by Identiv is applied to reseal the bottle and provide digital proof of authenticity. By securing both the contents and the container, the system creates a new standard for digital trust, one that benefits not only collectors and auction houses, but also wine producers seeking to protect their brand and customers.

“This partnership’s goal is to make wine authentication seamless and reliable for everyone,” said Markus Ehrat, CEO of Genuine-Analytics (www.genuine-analytics.com). “Together, we’re delivering complete authentication that’s scalable and secure, helping the wine industry stay ahead of counterfeiting risks.”

David Geisser, CEO of Zatap (zatap.io), added: “When this is applied at the producer level, it can scale to include any wine, from luxury wines to more everyday vintages.”

Identiv, Genuine-Analytics and Zatap will co-host a webinar, “The Future of Wine Authentication,” on May 28, 2025, at 9:00am PDT, 6pm CET. The webinar will include a live demo of the wine authentication application. To attend, visit hirschsecure.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PQpSRG9wQDSWwSRXkISB5w#/registration.