#SIGNS OF END TIME# (THE COMMON WORD IN THIS ERA IS MIRACLE) Its a modern miracle - a new device promises to turn water into wine. The aptly-named Miracle Machine offers to make a 750ml bottle of wine, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, within three days. Working in a vaguely-similar style to a Soda Stream, the user adds water and some ingredients and lets the device do the work. As with most modern marvels, a smartphone app is involved to guide you through the winemaking process whilst monitoring progress. The app allows you to select from a list of pre-defined wine types, each listing the grape concentrates and recommended type of yeast as well as other ingredients that are required. Its makers claim the results rival some of the best wines on the planet and will change the face of wine production forever. The developers say the Miracle Machine will produce a quality wine for £1.20 that would normally cost at least £12. The Miracle Machine offers to make a 750ml bottle of wine within three days. (Rex Features) Early designs of the Miracle Machine, which will retail at £300 (Rex Features) Described as the worlds first affordable accelerated Fast forward 12 months, and many experiments, and the Miracle Machine was born. Kevin Boyer told Wine-Searcher: Our Kickstarter campaign will launch in a couple of days in which we hope to secure funding the for building of the first 2000 Miracle Machines. We hope to have those completed and in market by May. Currently we have a couple working prototypes that weve been testing with for the past few months. An infographic of the process The Miracle Machine takes to turn water into wine (Rex Features) Mr Boyer said that the company aimed to raise £600,000 for basic infrastructure and to create the first 2000 machines. At the heart of the miracle machine lies the fermentation chamber. Philip James explains: Obviously were keeping the exact science under wraps, but we can tell you the chamber uses an array of electrical sensors, transducers, heaters and pumps to provide a controlled environment for the primary and, as needed, secondary fermentation stages. For example, while a digital refractometer measures the sugar content of the liquid during the fermentation process, a custom-designed ceramic air-diffuser pumps filtered air under a regulated micro-oxygenated environment, aerating the wine and thus softening the tannins. Meanwhile an ultrasonic transducer, positioned directly underneath the chamber, resonates effectively speeding up the flavour development of the wine. Each of these components, and others, are connected to an Arduino microcontroller that ensures the Miracle Machine is doing its job of making a fine wine of your creation in just a matter of days. Youll be able to buy the grape concentrate, yeast, and the final sachet of ingredients through our website, and Amazon, once we launch. Each kit will make a different type of wine. We plan on creating a low cost monthly wine club, where for under £6 per month you receive several kits, enough to make a bottle of wine a week. The machine is the brainchild of Philip James, former CEO of the wine website Lot 18 (Rex Features) A graphic showing the workings of The Miracle Machine (Rex Features) The costs equate to £1.20 dollars to make a bottle of wine that we would expect to pay £12 for, at minimum. Initially we have sourced 6 wine types that The Miracle Machine and its app will help you make. These are a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon and rich Chardonnay from Napa Valley, a cool climate Pinot Noir from Oregon, an aged Tuscan blend from Italy, Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma, and a delicate red and a steely white from Burgundy. We expect to add 5-10 more over the next 3 months. Because the wine will be produced and bottled under air, not an inert gas, the wine will only keep for 1-2 weeks. However, the wine will be made to taste pre-aged so theres no need to age it any further. How it works: Simply add the concentrate and yeast into the machine, add 600 ml of water and then use the app on your smartphone to start the process. The water, concentrate and yeast sit in the Miracle Machines fermentation chamber while the Miracle Machine app monitors progress in the background. Near completion, the app will direct you to add the small sachet of finishing powder, which contains the oak and other flavors that will allow your wine to taste as if it has been aging for several months to a year. 24 hours later, the app will then notify you through an alert letting you know that your wine is ready to drink.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 07:21:55 +0000