So, we’re talking 100-year-old recipes, cellars, dusty bottles, fresh farm produce, and a touchscreen — weird mix, some would say. But that’s what is the latest in wine technology.
Winemaking has not changed much. The art still revolves around perfect timing, famously snobbish rhetoric, careful hands and a lot of that wonderful, “I work from home”. How does this slow, subtle world then merge with the glitz and dual-core characteristics of modern-day tech? It’s almost as if 21st century is trying hard to get winemakers to accept what’s on offer.
Let’s take you back to 2010 and to an exquisite list of “10 best iPhone apps for wine enthusiasts” by beloved tech website mashable.com. The piece had a collection of apps to point users towards great wine-tasting experiences, right blends, fine dining and a delightful list.
But the list — with over 100 comments — still fails to impress Sajju and Conrad Misquith, two winemakers from Chennai and Mangalore with attack dogs to guard their recipes. “Winemaking is mostly instructional, like driving. You just can’t learn driving using apps. There are loads of video on YouTube but you have to learn the art from someone who’s been at it for a while,” says Sajju, who “works from home”. Besides a beautiful daughter, Sajju picked up a wine recipe from his father-in-law. “I know fruits now. I know how long it takes. The only reference points I have are a set of instructions, and not in bullet points. It’s all about timing,” he nods with a wink, raising what definitely smells delicious.
Conrad, meanwhile, is on a higher level of manufacturing. He makes his fine red in barrels and is also a specialist in what he calls the “nine fruit wine” — the sort of drink that makes you forget the host’s name by dessert. But, says he, apps have never helped him with his winemaking. “My grandmother gave me this recipe. And now I can make wine from almost anything: Ginger, bananas, cherry, name it,” he says.
“Are there apps to make you a better carpenter? You might get nuggets of information on the materials but the whole product, I doubt it. These recipes have been handed down from generations, from a time when computers had barely served a role in daily life. Winemaking came in big books and mostly, still do,” Conrad concludes.
So, have all the apps failed? Given that we are at a point in social evolution where computers serve a very important role in our daily lives, there is an app to wake you up, check calories, sort schedules, remind you of birthdays and then make sure you’re back in bed for the early meeting tomorrow. Are we to believe these little gifts from some of the smartest minds in the business are of no help to people dealing with grapes? Most importantly, the question remains, will technology ever bring down hundreds of years of winemaking into a single touchscreen? Will Conrad or Sajju ever thank an app for that delicious first sip?
For some, it may be heartening to note that there still are areas in human instruction which technology hasn’t been able to conquer. When was the last time you heard instructions being handed down to generations via mobile applications? Apps may replace teachers, postmen and may one day kick the secretary out, but will they really make it to the cellar?
Kitchen legend has it that cookery books once experimented with thicker paper to stop the breeze from ruining your first dal tadka. And for those who swear by that word, the day of the definitive winemaking app could be near. We may have just hit upon a world filled with dusty bottles that’s still a challenge to modern day technologies. Winemaking and apps have not found each other at the same table. In fact, they’re still having a little chat.