New aerial drone technology will soon be used to monitor and survey the vineyard. This will help farmers to identify problems with the crop and which areas of the vineyard are ready for harvesting, or should be left in the sun to ripen longer. Data sent back from the drone will be analysed by computer algorithms that can determine the quality of the grapes and which diseases they might have. The drones could also be used to identify insect and mammalian pests which could harm the crop. The aerial done could be programmed to land and carry out remedial work or spray insecticides or even shoot mammalian pests such as rabbits or wild boars.
Aerial surveys by drones could also be used to identify territory which could be exploited as new vineyards. They could analyse soil topography and condition. And make recommendations about drainage and access.
Automated operations controlled by algorithms will be able direct drones to plough the soil for a new vineyard, create the trellises and plant new vines. A new vineyard could be created and managed completely automatically.
The farmer could be relieved of vineyard work and administration - he would become simply a landowner whose land produces grapes. This is the direction in which we are heading, landowners, farmers and workers will become increasingly detached from the land; so will the consumers.
A time might come when many people do not realise how wine is produced and from what fruit. They will see themselves as just drinking alcoholic fruit juice: as this will probably what their wine will taste like. Welcome to the future world of wine.
http://thegrapevinemagazine.net/article/drones-in-the-vineyard-uses-benefits-concerns-key-players/
Thursday, 28 June 2018
Monday, 18 June 2018
Oyster Bay Merlot 2016 New Zealand red wine
Last week my wife and I shared a bottle of Oyster Bay Merlot 2016 from New Zealand. We drank half a bottle with some pasta with bolognaise sauce on one evening and with some roast chicken the following evening. The wine was very fruity and ready for drinking and was of good quality but quite expensive for £8.50 a bottle. The wine is reasonable value for money but of standard quality. Like most other new world wines it is identified according to the wine variety:"Merlot".
The wine is probably not 100% merlot as it is probably blended with a small proportion of other wine from other red wine grapes. The wine is not identified as coming from a particular estate so grapes from a number of different vineyards from different areas of the region were probably used to produce the wine. None of this detracts from the quality of the wine. However, if I were to taste this wine blind it would be a lucky guess that it was from New Zealand . It could just as well been a "Merlot" wine from Chile or Italy.
On Friday we opened a bottle of Chateau La Fagnouse Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015 red to drink with roast lamb. This wine was a different kettle of fish. The wine needs to be aged before it will reveal its true fruit character. We shall be keeping the rest of the half -case, that our friend brought us from France, for longer. This wine is not a top quality Bordeaux and it is made from predominantly merlot grapes; but it is one step up from the Oyster Bay wine. For a start it will keep much longer because of its structure and the balance of its tannin and acidity. It tastes and smells as if it comes from Bordeaux. At a blind tasting my wife and I would definitely be able to identify the wine as red Bordeaux even if we were not able to guess that it was a Saint-Emilion wine let alone a grand cru. This wine is slightly more expensive (in France) but I would gladly pay the difference. The wine comes from a genuine estate which picks its own grapes and makes wine from them as an independent producer. The wine has regional character and complements a good meal and the food of the region. It does not need to remind you of the grape variety: it is good quality Bordeaux but calling it "Merlot" would add nothing to its reputation.
The wine is probably not 100% merlot as it is probably blended with a small proportion of other wine from other red wine grapes. The wine is not identified as coming from a particular estate so grapes from a number of different vineyards from different areas of the region were probably used to produce the wine. None of this detracts from the quality of the wine. However, if I were to taste this wine blind it would be a lucky guess that it was from New Zealand . It could just as well been a "Merlot" wine from Chile or Italy.
On Friday we opened a bottle of Chateau La Fagnouse Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015 red to drink with roast lamb. This wine was a different kettle of fish. The wine needs to be aged before it will reveal its true fruit character. We shall be keeping the rest of the half -case, that our friend brought us from France, for longer. This wine is not a top quality Bordeaux and it is made from predominantly merlot grapes; but it is one step up from the Oyster Bay wine. For a start it will keep much longer because of its structure and the balance of its tannin and acidity. It tastes and smells as if it comes from Bordeaux. At a blind tasting my wife and I would definitely be able to identify the wine as red Bordeaux even if we were not able to guess that it was a Saint-Emilion wine let alone a grand cru. This wine is slightly more expensive (in France) but I would gladly pay the difference. The wine comes from a genuine estate which picks its own grapes and makes wine from them as an independent producer. The wine has regional character and complements a good meal and the food of the region. It does not need to remind you of the grape variety: it is good quality Bordeaux but calling it "Merlot" would add nothing to its reputation.
Thursday, 24 May 2018
Château du Cèdre Cahors 2014 AOP Cahors Pascal Verhaeghe versus Santa Julia Reserve Malbec 2015
Château du Cèdre Cahors 2014 AOP Cahors Pascal Verhaeghe is a fine and classic example of Cahors red wine. It is produced mainly from the Malbec grape variety,but blended with Tannat and Merlot, in the South West of France. We drank this wine with confit de canard and it matched the food perfectly. The tannin in this dark red wine cleaned the plate perfectly. The wine is perfectly balanced for tannin , acidity and dryness. It had a fruit flavour of blackcurrants and plums. I felt that we should have kept the wine a couple of years longer but I couldn't resist opening it with the duck. This wine would also go down well with my wife's rabbit stew. The wine brought back memories of a visits to Cahors and the region to sample South Western France cuisine.
The producer's notes describe the wine perfectly. This wine really deserves to be consumed with good food to do it justice. It represents outstanding value for money, you get an excellent wine (£19 per bottle!) for a fair price even in the UK.
It would be unfair to make a direct comparison between the Cahors and the Bodega Santa Julia Reserve Malbec 2015 Valle d'Oco dry red from Mendoza. The Santa Julia is made primarily from the Malbec grape which suits the Mendoza admirably. The Malbec based wine is blended with Cabernet Franc. The wine was much fruitier than the Cahors and it did not have the power and intensity of the Château du Cèdre. Even so it went very well with pasta and beef ragout. I rate as as very good value for money at £9 a bottle. At a blind tasting I might have had difficulty guessing that the wine came from Argentina let alone Mendoza. I recommend this wine, but it will probably not keep much longer. I have never visited the vineyards of Argentina but it's on my list.
It is interesting to note that buyers opinions range from bad to great so opinions are divided. My view is that the disappointed customers were unlucky - for me it is 3.5 out of 5 for stars. See below.
Château du Cèdre Cahors 2014 AOP Cahors de Pascal Verhaeghe est un bel exemple de vin rouge de Cahors. Il est produit principalement à partir du cépage Malbec, mais mélangé avec du Tannat et du Merlot, dans le sud-ouest de la France. Nous avons bu ce vin avec du confit de canard et il s’est harmonisé parfaitement au repas. Le tanin de ce vin rouge foncé nettoyait parfaitement le palais. Le vin est parfaitement équilibré pour le tanin, l'acidité et la sécheresse. Il avait une saveur de fruits de cassis et de prunes. Je pensais que nous aurions dû garder le vin quelques années de plus mais je n'ai pas pu résister à l'ouverture avec le canard. Ce vin se marierait bien avec le ragoût de lapin de ma femme. Ce vin m’a rappelé les souvenirs d'une visite à Cahors et dans la région pour goûter à la cuisine du sud-ouest de la France.
https://www.chateauducedre.com/?Le-Cedre-Cahors-2014-137
Il serait injuste de faire une comparaison directe entre le Cahors et la Bodega Santa Julia Réserve Malbec 2015 Valle d'Oco rouge sec de Mendoza. Le Santa Julia est fabriqué principalement à partir du cépage Malbec qui convient admirablement au Mendoza. Le vin à base de Malbec est mélangé avec du Cabernet Franc. Le vin était beaucoup plus fruité que le Cahors et il n'avait pas la puissance et l'intensité du Château du Cèdre. Même ainsi, il s'est très bien harmonisé avec les pâtes et le ragoût de bœuf. Je considère comme très bon rapport qualité / prix à 9 £ la bouteille. Lors d'une dégustation à l'aveugle, j'aurais pu difficilement deviner que le vin venait d'Argentine et encore moins de Mendoza. Je recommande ce vin mais on ne pourra pas le garder plus longtemps. Je n'ai jamais visité les vignobles de l'Argentine mais c'est sur ma liste.
Il est intéressant de noter que les opinions des acheteurs vont de mauvaises à excellente, donc les opinions sont divisées. C’est mon avis que les clients déçus ont été malchanceux - pour moi, je note ce vin à 3,5 sur 5 étoiles. Voir ci-dessous.
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/sjulia-uco-valley-malbec-75cl?dclid=CPWtjryEntsCFU5i0wodPXsCkw&langId=44&gclid=CjwKCAjwxZnYBRAVEiwANMTRX6xH2w2qCRGcmJHmcEH6y9i4mxExfRMXAb6LZdXiLkAi2Lq41_5DQxoCB90QAvD_BwE&storeId=10151&krypto=NLaCyMS19His9h778VWq8g1rE3NFsOFHJbGZ8IAcMKN9pTI2VeSpT9PVOl7ezHUNDPw7azvucHaQcPR8ZgVs%2BZFsIydj5%2BU0GZtlcEgyrbo%2Br5Cy0gDBTXZdffNJdQP6zcY6O7Z2cmhhcjxkHN0SwkPY7W5eTeStsI5s1%2Bjc2stp8467fHayyNYxpzLZ4AD8MiEPJeapD%2FK24aSBEwh9ceNmVWbR66L58neuEU7Z%2FJxVCdkGkNjOzDbKrDrgDu04v1eSAV8FwwYtHlgEL1dcfw%3D%3D&ddkey=https%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Fsjulia-uco-valley-malbec-75cl
Monday, 14 May 2018
"Au Bon Accueil at Champlost" Burgundy again (Traduction française ci-dessous)
My wife, my sister- in-law and I dined, a couple of weekends
ago, at the “Au Bon Accueil” in the small town of Champlost. Champlost is in
the arronsdissement of Auxerre in northern Burgundy. We have dined here before.
My wife and I are in the habit of returning to restaurants
where we have eaten so well before. This trait is not just peculiar to us.
Whenever, I have travelled on work projects most of my teams have wanted to do
the same. When I was on a project in Hamburg, with workers from mixed
nationalities, our team tended to eat in the same restaurants each evening,
once we had found out which establishments suited us best. One such restaurant
in Hamburg was our favourite, a Portuguese one, “The Vasco de Gama”. This
restaurant had a great atmosphere and good food and you could drink some truly
lovely Portuguese Alvarinho or Spanish Albariño to wash down a seafood platter.
Every time we went to this restaurant we had a good meal so
why waste valuable time searching, perhaps in vain, for something better.
So, back to Burgundy: at Au Bon Accueil we dined very well in a down
to earth restaurant. We selected a table in a shaded part of the
courtyard. The waitress didn’t show us a
menu as there was only a set menu. We ate tomatoes stuffed with tuna, for a
starter, followed by chicken supreme with pasta, a selection of four cheeses,
dessert and coffee.
When I ordered a half bottle of Irancy red, I half expected
to receive a bottle Matthieu Antunes’s wine and I was not disappointed: this
time it was a 2011.
We dined in the shade surrounded by swallows flying over the
courtyard in the bright sunshine and there were no foreigners except me. We
were in the middle of rural France in farming country but not far from the
vineyards surrounding Auxerre.
This is just the kind of dining that I appreciate so much. The
food was very good even if it was not presented to Michelin star standards. The
wine was superb and went well with the food and it had the taste unique to the
appellation.
The service was perfect, but no one fawned over us. It was
also respectful, and we were not treated to a French version of “Hi Guys”.
All this cost less than 70 Euro for 3 people. You simply
cannot get this type of high quality food, wine and service in the UK for this
price. Let’s hope that UK prices, service and value for money, never penetrate
into rural France.
Au Bon Accueil à nouveau à Champlost en Bourgogne
Ma femme, ma belle-soeur et moi avons dîné, il y a quelques
week-ends, au "Au Bon Accueil" dans la petite ville de Champlost. Champlost est dans l'arrondissement d'Auxerre en Bourgogne du Nord. Nous avons
dîné ici plusieurs fois avant.
Ma femme et moi avons l'habitude de retourner dans des
restaurants où nous avons tellement bien mangé avant. Ce trait n'est pas
seulement particulier à nous. Chaque fois que j'ai voyagé sur des projets de
travail, la plupart de mes équipes ont voulu faire de même.
Lorsque j'étais sur un projet à Hambourg, avec des
travailleurs de nationalités diverses, notre équipe avait tendance à manger
dans les mêmes restaurants chaque soir, une fois que nous avions découvert
quels établissements nous convenaient le mieux. Un tel restaurant à Hambourg
était notre préféré, un portugais, "Le Vasco de Gama". Ce restaurant
a eu une bonne ambiance pour manger un bon repas et on pouvait boire de
l'Alvarinho portugais ou Albariño espagnol vraiment adorable pour arroser au
plateau de fruits de mer.
Chaque fois que nous sommes allés à ce restaurant nous avons
eu un bon repas, alors pourquoi perdre un temps précieux à chercher, peut-être
en vain, pour quelque chose de mieux.
Donc, de retour en Bourgogne : à <> nous avons très bien dîné dans un restaurant terre-à-terre.
Nous avons choisi une table dans une partie ombragée de la cour. La serveuse ne
nous a pas montré une carte car il n'y avait qu'un menu fixe. Nous avons mangé
des tomates farcies au thon, pour une entrée, suivi d'un poulet suprême avec
des pâtes, une sélection de quatre fromages, un dessert et un café. Quand j'ai
commandé une demi-bouteille d'Irancy rouge, je m'attendais à recevoir une
bouteille de vin de Matthieu Antunes et je n'ai pas été déçu : cette fois
c'était un 2011. Nous avons dîné à l'ombre entouré d'hirondelles qui volaient
au-dessus de la cour sous le soleil et il n'y avait pas d'étrangers sauf moi. Nous
étions au milieu de la France rurale dans un pays agricole mais pas loin des
vignobles qui entourent Auxerre. C'est juste le genre de repas que j'apprécie
beaucoup. Le repas était très bon même s’il n'était pas présenté selon les
standards Michelin. Le vin était superbe et allait bien avec le repas et il
avait le goût unique à l'appellation.
Le service était parfait, mais personne ne nous a préféré.
C'était aussi respectueux, et nous n'avons pas eu droit à une version française
de "Hi Guys".
Tout cela a coûté moins de 70 euros pour trois personnes.
Vous ne pouvez tout simplement pas obtenir ce type de nourriture, de vin et de
service de haute qualité au Royaume-Uni pour ce prix. Espérons nous que les prix, le
service et le rapport qualité-prix au Royaume-Uni ne pénètrent jamais dans la
France rurale.
Thursday, 12 April 2018
Expert Club Saint Chinian AOP Red 2015
We bought several bottles of this wine in an Intermarche supermarket in Troyes. The wine was selected by their oenologue Christophe Coppolani. I can't remember how much we paid for it but it was about 5 Euro a bottle. Christophe did a mighty fine job as he selected a really good wine at a reasonable price.
Saint Chinian is of my of my favourite wines from the Languedoc region of southern France. This wine was produced from Syrah and Grenache grapes which are eminently suitable for the soil and climate of the region.
It went down well with roast chicken but it would equally suit a good steak.
It is a fine example of a standard quality wine at a reasonable price. You could even identify that it came from southern France without looking at the label. This is what I like about French supermarkets: you can always find a wine bargain.
Saint Chinian is of my of my favourite wines from the Languedoc region of southern France. This wine was produced from Syrah and Grenache grapes which are eminently suitable for the soil and climate of the region.
It went down well with roast chicken but it would equally suit a good steak.
It is a fine example of a standard quality wine at a reasonable price. You could even identify that it came from southern France without looking at the label. This is what I like about French supermarkets: you can always find a wine bargain.
Thursday, 29 March 2018
Automated Winery
In a previous wine post we have seen how vineyard operations could be almost totally automated so that there is very little intervention needed to get the grapes to the winery. The completely automated vineyard is probably 10 to 20 years off. However, a completely automated winery is a nearer proposition.
The grapes will be transported to the winery in robotic trucks and hoppers. The robots in the vineyard will have only picked grapes which are perfectly ripe.
The basic process for making red wine can be easily automated and the general procedure is described thus.
The grapes will be loaded into crusher and de-stemming machines which will provide crushed grapes ready for pressing to produce grape juice ready for fermentation, but without the stalks and stems to add extra and bitter tannin to the mash.These types of machine have been around for a long time and they use adjustable rollers and beaters to crush and remove the stems. A robot could easily control this process without manual intervention.
The crushed grapes are poured into stainless steel tanks for fermentation under temperature controlled conditions. The winemaker can use natural yeasts to ferment the wines others will use standardised cultured yeast to control the fermentation. Pumping over techniques ensure that the wine must maintains the desired contact with the grape skins to produce the desired colour and tannin content of the wine. In former times workers would have climbed into a wooden vat or fermentation tank to ensure that the skins and grape were well stirred during fermentation. Traditional techniques will be made obsolete by automation.
Some red wines use carbonic maceration techniques where the grapes are very lightly crushed so that the skins are broken up by the actual process of fermentation rather that crushing; this produces lighter wines ready for drinking young.
After fermentation the red wine pomace may be pressed to extract colours and tannins which can be added to the final red wine blend.
With modern techniques it will be no problem to analyse the wine for alcohol, sugar, tannin, acid and pigment content:the fermentation could then be adjusted automatically to obtain the desired result. There will be no need for human intervention. The tasters art can be dispensed with.
Most red wines are subjected to malo-lactic conversion where tart malic acid is converted to softer lactic acid. Malo-lactic conversion can be induced by naturally occurring bacteria but, of course, modern techniques involve the use of cultured bacteria grown for the specific purpose.
After fermentation and malo-lactic conversion the wine is matured in oak barrels for high quality wines . The oak barrels add vanilla and tannin to the newly produced wine to add character. Some standardised and industrially produce wines have vanilla flavour added in the form of oak chips to reduce the the maturation times.
After maturation the red wine is often racked by pouring the wine into new clean barrels to gently aerate the wine and to allow a sediment to fall from the wine.
Most wine is fined using egg white or special clay to remove solids and allow them to fall to the bottom of the vat.
Some wine is filtered to ensure that all solids are removed to improve its the clarity and appearance to the eye. Some high quality wine producers eschew this and this is why wine which has been left to mature in the bottle will throw a light sediment.
After fining and filtration the wine is bottled with hydrogen sulphide to prevent oxygen damaging the wine.
There is no reason why the whole process cannot be automated completely. The wines could be crated up and shipped to a wine merchant to anywhere in the world using drone ships and lorries.
White wines can be processed in a similar way and even Champagne operations which use a second fermentation in the bottle can be completely automated.
High quality wines will only ever be produced with humans being part of the tasting and adjustment process in the actual vineyards and winery and you will still have to mature them in a cellar before drinking. High quality wine will become more and more expensive so enjoy your Montrachet and Bourgogne Rouge Grand Cru now.
Soon, you will be able to enjoy a TV meal of steak and chips with a bottle of Shiraz flown to your doorstep by a drone. The wine will only get near a human being when you open it. The chips will also be automatically produced. The beef cattle will never have been patted on the backside by a farmer. Very few people will ever experience the exquisite taste of a high quality wine which has a delicious and unique taste of its own. Most wine will become industrialised and homogenised plonk, which will be used to wash down homogenised food delivered to your door by a drone with a programmed grin on its face. Welcome to the future of wine.
The grapes will be transported to the winery in robotic trucks and hoppers. The robots in the vineyard will have only picked grapes which are perfectly ripe.
The basic process for making red wine can be easily automated and the general procedure is described thus.
The grapes will be loaded into crusher and de-stemming machines which will provide crushed grapes ready for pressing to produce grape juice ready for fermentation, but without the stalks and stems to add extra and bitter tannin to the mash.These types of machine have been around for a long time and they use adjustable rollers and beaters to crush and remove the stems. A robot could easily control this process without manual intervention.
The crushed grapes are poured into stainless steel tanks for fermentation under temperature controlled conditions. The winemaker can use natural yeasts to ferment the wines others will use standardised cultured yeast to control the fermentation. Pumping over techniques ensure that the wine must maintains the desired contact with the grape skins to produce the desired colour and tannin content of the wine. In former times workers would have climbed into a wooden vat or fermentation tank to ensure that the skins and grape were well stirred during fermentation. Traditional techniques will be made obsolete by automation.
Some red wines use carbonic maceration techniques where the grapes are very lightly crushed so that the skins are broken up by the actual process of fermentation rather that crushing; this produces lighter wines ready for drinking young.
After fermentation the red wine pomace may be pressed to extract colours and tannins which can be added to the final red wine blend.
With modern techniques it will be no problem to analyse the wine for alcohol, sugar, tannin, acid and pigment content:the fermentation could then be adjusted automatically to obtain the desired result. There will be no need for human intervention. The tasters art can be dispensed with.
Most red wines are subjected to malo-lactic conversion where tart malic acid is converted to softer lactic acid. Malo-lactic conversion can be induced by naturally occurring bacteria but, of course, modern techniques involve the use of cultured bacteria grown for the specific purpose.
After fermentation and malo-lactic conversion the wine is matured in oak barrels for high quality wines . The oak barrels add vanilla and tannin to the newly produced wine to add character. Some standardised and industrially produce wines have vanilla flavour added in the form of oak chips to reduce the the maturation times.
After maturation the red wine is often racked by pouring the wine into new clean barrels to gently aerate the wine and to allow a sediment to fall from the wine.
Most wine is fined using egg white or special clay to remove solids and allow them to fall to the bottom of the vat.
Some wine is filtered to ensure that all solids are removed to improve its the clarity and appearance to the eye. Some high quality wine producers eschew this and this is why wine which has been left to mature in the bottle will throw a light sediment.
After fining and filtration the wine is bottled with hydrogen sulphide to prevent oxygen damaging the wine.
There is no reason why the whole process cannot be automated completely. The wines could be crated up and shipped to a wine merchant to anywhere in the world using drone ships and lorries.
White wines can be processed in a similar way and even Champagne operations which use a second fermentation in the bottle can be completely automated.
High quality wines will only ever be produced with humans being part of the tasting and adjustment process in the actual vineyards and winery and you will still have to mature them in a cellar before drinking. High quality wine will become more and more expensive so enjoy your Montrachet and Bourgogne Rouge Grand Cru now.
Soon, you will be able to enjoy a TV meal of steak and chips with a bottle of Shiraz flown to your doorstep by a drone. The wine will only get near a human being when you open it. The chips will also be automatically produced. The beef cattle will never have been patted on the backside by a farmer. Very few people will ever experience the exquisite taste of a high quality wine which has a delicious and unique taste of its own. Most wine will become industrialised and homogenised plonk, which will be used to wash down homogenised food delivered to your door by a drone with a programmed grin on its face. Welcome to the future of wine.
Thursday, 8 March 2018
The Winebot
New technology will soon be available to wine producers. Robots are being developed which will be able completely to maintain the vineyard. There will be robots which can drive between the vines to clear away weeds. Robots will be able to recognise diseased leaves and remove or treat them with insecticides and fungicides.
Spur and cane training and pruning will be controlled by our automated friends. The wood and wire supports for the vines will also be maintained automatically.
Automated analysis of the soil will allow robots to treat the ground with fertilisers and control the acidity and mineral balance of the growing substrate.
Automated cloches will protect the vines in the winter and will ensure that the vines are supplied with the exact quantity of UV light either from the sun or lamps.
Automated irrigation will ensure that the vines are supplied with the exact quantity of water required for optimal and scheduled growth.
Robots will be able to detect which grapes are ripe and ready for picking.
Machines will harvest the grapes and transport them automatically to the winery.
Robots will be used to deter insect and animal pests and will patrol the vineyard to ensure that humans cannot damage the growth too.
There will hardly be a requirement either for traditional farmers or vineyard workers. Everything will be managed by a technician at a computer console or using a 'phone app. The "farmer" could operate from anywhere.
You may think that this is impossible but very soon automated machines will be deployed by farmers to harvest their wheat and grain crops. These machines will be controlled by computers using artificial intelligence. Their fields will be mapped by GPS systems which will control movements down to the centimetre. Hopper lorries to transport the grain to barns will also be controlled by computer. Seeding operations can be controlled likewise. The machines will drive themselves automatically from garage to field. Our farmer cousins in France have confirmed that farming co-operatives will be operating like this in the near future. What can happen in a grain field can also happen in a vineyard but of course growing vines is more complicated.
Within twenty years it will be possible to completely automate vineyard operations. Most vineyard workers will become unemployed. There will then be a shortage of workers experienced enough to do work for the few traditional growers and the price of their labour will go up. Also, many traditional operators will be put out of business by the automated operators. The number of growers producing individually managed crops to produce individually tasting wines will be reduced. Top quality wines will get more and more expensive.
We are heading for a wine world of complete standardisation and homogenisation. Enjoy a good Bordeaux or Burgundy while you can. There is more to follow.
Spur and cane training and pruning will be controlled by our automated friends. The wood and wire supports for the vines will also be maintained automatically.
Automated analysis of the soil will allow robots to treat the ground with fertilisers and control the acidity and mineral balance of the growing substrate.
Automated cloches will protect the vines in the winter and will ensure that the vines are supplied with the exact quantity of UV light either from the sun or lamps.
Automated irrigation will ensure that the vines are supplied with the exact quantity of water required for optimal and scheduled growth.
Robots will be able to detect which grapes are ripe and ready for picking.
Machines will harvest the grapes and transport them automatically to the winery.
Robots will be used to deter insect and animal pests and will patrol the vineyard to ensure that humans cannot damage the growth too.
There will hardly be a requirement either for traditional farmers or vineyard workers. Everything will be managed by a technician at a computer console or using a 'phone app. The "farmer" could operate from anywhere.
You may think that this is impossible but very soon automated machines will be deployed by farmers to harvest their wheat and grain crops. These machines will be controlled by computers using artificial intelligence. Their fields will be mapped by GPS systems which will control movements down to the centimetre. Hopper lorries to transport the grain to barns will also be controlled by computer. Seeding operations can be controlled likewise. The machines will drive themselves automatically from garage to field. Our farmer cousins in France have confirmed that farming co-operatives will be operating like this in the near future. What can happen in a grain field can also happen in a vineyard but of course growing vines is more complicated.
Within twenty years it will be possible to completely automate vineyard operations. Most vineyard workers will become unemployed. There will then be a shortage of workers experienced enough to do work for the few traditional growers and the price of their labour will go up. Also, many traditional operators will be put out of business by the automated operators. The number of growers producing individually managed crops to produce individually tasting wines will be reduced. Top quality wines will get more and more expensive.
We are heading for a wine world of complete standardisation and homogenisation. Enjoy a good Bordeaux or Burgundy while you can. There is more to follow.
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