Robotic Winemaking — Terroir Talking | Nature, Spirit, Wine | Stories about nature and the life within wine | Interviews with winemakers and growers about their relationship with nature.

Reflection No. 20

Robotic optical grape sorting was recently evaluated by some of California’s top winemakers, as reported by winesandvines.com. The machines are programmed to find the less-than-perfect grapes, replacing the touch of human hands. Harvesting machines can motor up and down vineyards, dictating how vines get planted so that they can mechanically collect the grapes. But touching the grapes, feeling them, being covered in sweet stickiness, knowing that you are part of the moment when the grape begins its transition to wine — this is a privilege. The exchange of energy between humans and nature is a part of the life of wine.

And scientists in Denmark have created an artificial tongue to test the differences between inexpensive and expensive wines, according to TechCrunch. The researchers say that its lack of bias is a benefit. But a machine cannot measure the human connection and emotions. The beauty of wine is its diversity and the infinite number of ways to know it, which cannot be reduced to a measurement.

Wine is history, culture and an expression of the soul of the land and should not be industrialized. Great wine is the result of a love affair between man and nature. In order to truly enjoy wine, we should remember this and each find our own relationship with nature through wine.