Synthetic Wine

[Ozzie W]

Yes, you read that right. We're not talking about synthetic corks here, but the wine itself.

Would you buy a bottle of synthetic 1962 DRC for $50? A company in San Francisco called Ava claims to make synthetic wine that tastes like the real thing. Their vision is to recreate the greatest wines of the world molecule by molecule. They've started at the bottom and produced a synthetic Moscato d’Asti. The next wine they're working on is the 1992 Dom Pérignon which is due to be released shortly. What's next? 1962 DRC?

I don't think this technology is anywhere near the stage where it'll taste like the real thing, but it's still early days and you never know what might happen in the future. Who needs Rudi when you can make a fake in a laboratory .

More information here:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2088322-synthetic-wine-made-without-grapes-claims-to-mimic-fine-vintages/
http://www.avawinery.com/

[sjw_11]

Fascinating stuff... I am inherently terrified but it is very interesting to read about

[Bobthebuilder]

I would be very interested to taste it, however much it scares me

[Cactus]

I dont think this will ever work. But if it does i would like mangos year round. That would be my priority

[RobK]

what are they making it out of is the next question.

[dingozegan]

I'd try it, and I'm sure it could be a passable beverage, but I don't think they'll get even close to making an "interesting" wine (in the sense of what wine lovers seek) in any of our lifetimes. The phenolic compounds in wine, for example, aren't even that well understood now, so there's a long way to go before they can replicate a 1962 DRC.

[Cloth Ears]

This is the original blog entry from April, so not much research going on yet. His ideas on the 'base' to the wine seem to be fairly good, but I'm not sure his ideas on flavour and what to use for it give me much hope. This is what he says about flavours so far:
"There is a distinct layering of flavors — as the wine enters the mouth, first, you taste the VOCs (2–3 seconds), then you get some sort of alcohol taste. There is no after taste."
So currently no prolonged research, and it only looks like one guys attempt. Serious research might be able to get a lot further, but I'm not sure if there's a market for it. The flavour is one thing, but considering the amount of argument still for cork versus non-cork capping, I doubt the mainstream winebuyers would ever consider the made wine being worth forking out for.

You can use to code INDIEBIO to get half off if you want to fund the research...

[Redav]

Mail order wine hahaha