Tech in Production & Delivery

I wanted to return to a theme discussed in our first class and initial blog posts – the role of science and technology in Wine.

This article offers a great summary of the many ways that wine tech is changing, including everything from agricultural technology, to satellite imaging of vineyards, to spectrometry analysis of the finished product.  http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21590767-high-tech-winemaking-technology-has-already-made-poor-plonk-thing-past

I found it particularly interesting to think of ancient conventions in technological terms. A cork is a piece of technology that allows for oxidization of the wine. The shape of a wine bottle allows for residue to collect in its nape as the wine is poured.

Innovation is visible in all areas. Check out Pellenc, which makes special wine tractors, and Bucher Vaslin for modern presses. A lot is happening with bottle seals, too – VinPerfect sells “wine’s first perfect closure”, a screw cap that allows winemakers to choose exactly how much airflow they would like into the bottle, without the side effects (taste etc.) of cork.

I wonder whether new treatments will decrease the traditional cultural elements of wine-drinking. I like corked bottles because there’s something ancient and atmospheric about it – people have drunk from corked glass bottles for generations. Similarly, particularly given the contextual nature of wine enjoyment, is it less fun to drink wine made from grapes gathered by robotic tractor and not by hand?