Without going into much detail, the following is a list of technological advances described in an Economist article called "Bacchus to the future".
The article omits mention of new pesticide and fungicide sprays which are equally sought after by big vineyards. The effects of these sprays were recently described in a New York times article titled 'The year the Monarchs didn't come'.
You decide what is in your future.
Mechanical pickers made by Pellenc.
Mechanical grape destemmer and sorter made by Pellenc (puff of air to remove unwanted grapes)
VinPerfect has a screw cap with an aluminium-coated plastic liner which allows the winemaker to choose precisely how much oxygen should enter the bottle over time.
The Cilyo machine injects small quantities of the gas into a sample, determines how fast the “must” consumes it and calculates the optimal amount to avoid 'premox'.
Reverse osmosis for adjusting alcohol/water balance, removing vinegar and ethyl acetate. (WineSecrets)
To defeat forgers, Prooftag contains a serial number and unique patter ob bubbles in 'bubble seal'.
Case sensors that track temp while shipping (eProvenance)
The Coravin inserts argon while pouring so air doesn't get in.
Lynch Bages, an august Bordeaux producer, uses satelite data and soil core samples to assess what vines to grow, and where.
Fruition Sciences applies heat sensors to vine branches to measure how fast sap flows through them, and thus how much water is transpiring through the plant. The sensors wirelessly transmit the data every 15 minutes, and send an alert if irrigation is needed.
Catena Zapata, an Argentine winery, is putting thermometers on roots to study the effect of their temperature on grape development.
At Ducru-Beaucaillou in Bordeaux, the winemaker sends tractors to calculate the concentration of anthocyanins, a valuable antioxidant.
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear-magnetic resonance spectroscopy,are used by Axel Marchal of the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV) in Bordeaux.
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