Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our FAQs.
We have tried to answer the most common questions, so that you have the information you need. But please get in touch to request a custom quote and more information below.
Wine Dispensers
Below are some of the most common questions we get about the machines.
What is a wine pouring system and how does it work?
enomatic is a wine dispenser, which means it preserves, cools and serves wines by the glass.
enomatics work by preserving the wine under a protective atmosphere of food-grade argon or nitrogen, which prevents oxygen entering into the opened bottle. Both gases are widely used in the food industry to preserve food and beverages, as they are odourless, tasteless and colourless. Above all, they are chemically inert, which means neither gas reacts with the wine.
After you open the bottle of wine, you insert a tube into the bottle and place it into the machine. The machine then inserts inert gas into the bottle, which prevents it from oxidising.
How long will a wine bottle last in an enomatic® machine?
A minimum of 21-30 days, but often longer. A higher alcohol, high tannin red wine tends to preserve for longer than a light white, for example, or a delicate rosé.
What gas do I need to use with my enomatic® machine?
You will need to use Nitrogen E941 or High Purity Argon E938 for all machines except Unica Bubbles, which uses food-grade carbon dioxide E290 100%. Unica Bag machines do not require gas.
Both gases are chemically inert, tasteless, odourless, inflammable and, of course, non-toxic. Argon is significantly heavier than air (and nitrogen, the main gas in the air), so it’s what we personally use and recommend. However, it is slightly more expensive. Nitrogen works well too, but the preservation effect of argon is slightly stronger.
This will be a disposable or external cylinder, and is not included with your purchase. We recommend SupaGas as a reliable Australia-wide supplier.
How long will a gas bottle last me?
A 1L gas bottle (the smallest size available in Australia) will last approximately 80 bottles.
Do I need a drainage line for the unit/s?
No, enomatic® wine dispensers do not require drainage lines.
What is the range of temperatures available?
Our machines are designed to control between 6-18°C. You can set this how you would like, for the types of wines you enjoy most.
Our Unica 4, Unica 8 and Unica Start 4 models are able to be divided with an additional part, so that you may have half the machine one temperature, and the other half a different temperature – ideal if you want to put both whites and reds in the same machine.
Our new Unica Bubbles machine is able to be colder, from 4-10°C, which is ideal for Champagne.
What information can I display on my screen?
All Unica machines have customisable display screens, which allows you to add as little or as much information as you want. Data can include the wine name, producer, grape varieties, region, alcohol by volume, pricing, and more.
Can I put Champagne or sparkling wine in the wine dispensers?
Our regular Unica line is not designed to work with sparkling beverages, but our new Unica Bubbles machine is.
The team at enomatic® has worked for 20 years to develop a machine that beautifully preserves bubbles, as well as dispenses the perlage. It’s quite a marvel of engineering!
What kind of bottles can I use?
Thanks to the adjustable pistons, enomatics can accommodate most standard format bottles. This includes long-neck bottles, such as Riesling bottles, as well as 1L sizes.
How do the wine cards work?
All machines except the Unica Start and the EnoOne can be configured to use a physical access card. This is vital if you want to restrict who or how much someone can access the wine, and it also provides you with additional reporting capabilities.
Manager Card
The “manager card” is the master card, and can be used to change settings, such as temperature and network connections. All machines will use a manager card, regardless of whether they are in a private residence or a self-serve cellar door venue. This card can be configured to have a PIN to further restrict access.
Staff Card
The “staff card” is the next level of access, and can be configured to allow the changing of bottles, cleaning of the machines, and dispensing the wines. We can create as many staff cards as you need, which means you can have one for the whole venue, or each staff member can have their own card.
Customer Cards
This optional card type can be created to allow your customers to self-serve. The cards can be loaded with pre-paid credit, or the card can keep track of the bill to be settled at the end. Pre-loaded cards are also great for gifting.
With the smart card technology, cards can be reused thousands of times. Through your enoSoft software, you will be able to erase data on cards and reuse them for other customers.
All of these cards are configured to only work on your machines. Both a manager and staff card are included in your purchase. Customer cards are an additional purchase, and can be enomatic® branded or customised with your own design.
How does the pour pricing work?
Pricing per pour can be created to a formula based on percentages of the bottle price, or custom built. You have complete control over what you charge.
You also have complete control over how much you pour across the three with pour sizes up to 250ml. Examples include a taste (30ml), a small glass (70ml) and a standard glass (125ml), or a taste (30ml), a standard glass (125ml) and a large glass (200ml).
enomatic® can also automate your happy hour or promotional periods; the machines can be set to go into happy hour mode during specified days and times you choose. You can specify which wines in your inventory have happy hour pricing, which can be set manually or automatically generate a discount percentage based on price.
What do you mean they are modular?
Innovative and functional, the Unica models are designed as modules to be integrated and combined in order to create multiple modular combinations able to satisfy any need.
See here for some examples to inspire your own design.
Safety & Security
Below are some of are common questions about safety, security, and controlling access.
Can I move the wine dispensers easily by myself?
We do not recommend that you try to move the machines by yourself, as they are both heavy and it can void your warranty. In case you need to move your system after installation, please contact us so we can assess the situation and find the best solution with you.
Could a customer steal a bottle easily?
No, the bottle is sealed to the head with high pressure and locked into place. You are also able to lock the door with a key, which you can store behind the bar.
What certifications do your machines have?
Made in compliance with the relevant international standards, enomatic® offers a safe, reliable product. It is the dedication to attention to detail in each piece of equipment that guarantees the high level of quality in all aspects – electrical safety, food safety and electromagnetic compatibility. Among other certifications, enomatic® dispensers are NSF® and UL® certified.
Software & Reporting
Below are some common questions about our software and reporting functionality.
What reports can I generate for my business?
The reporting capabilities of the enomatic® machines depends on the level of software you require. All Unica machines are able to be monitored from any browser device connected to the same wired or wi-fi network using S3App, which is included in your purchase. This allows you to easily add information to your digital display, such as wine names, grape varieties and pricing.
BackDesk+
All machines come with Back Desk, a simple software that enables you to add digital labels to your machines (except for EnoOnes, which do not have a display screen).
There is a one-off fee to set up BackDesk+, which includes 12 months of complimentary phone support.
EnoSoft Card Generator
Designed for small operations with one or two dispensers and regular traffic. Card Generator is available as an application to be installed on a computer (Windows only). It requires one of our USB card readers. EnoSoft Card Generator allows you to create wine cards for your customers, add credit on them, and put an expiration date.
There is a one-off fee to set up EnoSoft Card Generator.
enoSoft Pro
enoSoft Pro manages the operation of installed dispensers from a desktop computer, providing statistics on consumption as well as allowing the creation of all types of wine cards (including prepaid, VIPs, gift credit and more).
enoSoft Pro can create highly detailed reports for you to integrate into your current business workflows, such as sales reports based on producer and/or varietal. The enomatic® wine dispensing systems have pour detection so you can track every millilitre. All of our wine dispensers have empty bottle and cleaning alerts. Our enoSoft Pro software can handle multiple POS stations within a local network.
enoSoft Pro also includes enoApp, which allows you to manage your dispensers using a simple browser from any device connected to the same wired or wi-fi network.
There is an annual licensing fee for enoSoft Pro.
What kind of computer do I need for the software?
enoSoft Pro is only able to run on Windows, currently. All other software levels work on a browser, so can be run off a smartphone, tablet, Mac or Windows.
Can you interface with our POS system?
There is not currently a native integration between enomatic®’s software and Australian POS systems such as Lightspeed or Square. However, we are able to work with you to develop an easy-to-use system that suits your venue.
enomatic® & Wine Pouring Systems
Below are some of the most common questions we are asked about our company (Wine Pouring Systems) and enomatic.
Who is enomatic®?
Founded in Tuscany in 2002 after years of experimentation, enomatic® has revolutionised drinking wine by industrialising systems that preserve and serve wine by the glass. A globally-recognised brand, enomatic® offers a wide range of wine dispensers, made in Italy and distributed in over 70 countries, including by us here in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Who is Wine Pouring Systems?
Wine Pouring Systems is the official, exclusive licensed distributor of enomatic® in Oceania. We are an independent company, and are not employees of enomatic®.
You can read more about us here.
Where are the wine dispensers manufactured?
In Greve, Italy – right in the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti wine region, outside of Florence. The semi-automated fabrication ensures an unmatched quality and reliability that makes the brand famous. We’ve seen the factory in-person, and met many of the people who design and build these beautiful machines. These are the Ferrari of wine dispensers (our words, not theirs!).
Cleaning & Maintenance
How do I clean my machine?
Like all beverage dispensing systems (such as your espresso machine), there will always be some form of cleaning schedule to reduce build-up of residue and to prevent bacteria growth.
We recommend a simple clean each month with food-grade citric acid, and then an additional sanitation clean every three months. Both of these are very simple, and we will send you both written and video instructions with your purchase. Your machine will also alert you when it is time to clean it – it's very smart/bossy like that.
Should I use chemicals?
We only recommend using food-grade citric acid (which we provide in our cleaning kits) with warm water, as well as fresh water for rinsing.
How do I get spare parts?
Spare parts can be ordered through us. Please email us to order.
Installations & Warranties
What warranty and maintenance is included?
A one year manufacturer's warranty is included in your purchase. You may also purchase extended warranty and servicing plans, which we recommend for our high-volume commercial customers.
We will send you a link to access our troubleshooting library too, which includes videos showing you how to fix the most common issues, such as a blocked tube or a Wifi connection issue. We want you to be able to get your machine back online as quickly as possible, and find that 99% of our servicing requests can be solved with these free videos.
Our team is available for ad hoc service and maintenance requests too, and our pricing and request process can be found here.
What happens if our wine dispenser is down?
Our experience has shown that the majority of problems you may encounter can be fixed remotely (over the phone, via remote connection to your software). We also have a range of servicing packages available, which your Project Manager will discuss with you.
Do you offer financing?
We work with SilverChef on financing up to $65,000. You can get approval in under five minutes.
You can use this handy calculator to see what your desired machine will cost each week.
We know cash flow in business is key, and that enomatic® machines are an investment. We will work with you however we can to make it possible.
Learn more about financing here.
What is the life expectancy of an enomatic® wine dispenser?
Although much depends on how well you clean and maintain your systems, you can expect a conservative life expectancy of 6-8 years. We are still working with customers who have been using their enomatic® for 20+ years!
What is the delivery time for the wine dispensers?
We carry an inventory of all Unica and EnoOne machines in our Brisbane warehouse.
If we are able to fulfil your order immediately, we will! Alternatively, air freight from Italy takes approximately three weeks, and shipping takes three months for non-urgent orders. Please note that air freight comes with a surcharge.
What are the terms of payment?
All EnoOne and Unica Start orders must be paid for upfront. These are “plug and play” machines that do not require us to install, so we are able to ship them directly to you.
For large custom orders of our other Unica lines, we require 50% as a deposit at time of order, and 50% on delivery. Installation fees are due upon completion.
Order of supplies and accessories can be processed easily online. Please get in touch with us to order.
Can I install the wine dispensers in a temporary location because my venue is not ready yet?
For warranty purposes and to ensure proper performance, all equipment must be installed at the final location. Once installed and staff is trained, an Installation Acceptance Certificate will be signed.
How much time in advance do I need to schedule the installation?
We recommend letting us know at least a month in advance of the installation date, to ensure we can meet your expectations.
Will you train us how to use the machines?
Yes, you and your staff will be fully trained by our certified technicians upon completion of the installation. You will also have an online portal of tutorials for all basic cleaning, maintenance and troubleshooting needs.
Press, Partnerships & Collaborations
Let’s collaborate on an event or campaign!
We’d love to! We have an ongoing monthly tasting event at Wineology Brisbane, and we’d love to work with other venues too.
Please get in touch with our Creative Director Phoebe to chat about collaborations.
I’m a journalist/editor. Who can I talk to for a story?
We would love to chat – either to put you in touch with an official enomatic spokesperson in Italy, or to share our own local knowledge and experience. Please email Phoebe Tully.