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Wine Tasting Via Computer

Posted by Zonk on from the snoots-replaced-by-technology dept.

smooth wombat writes "What makes a good wine? Why do some wines have a smooth, almond-like bouquet while others have a sharper, more acidic bite to them? These questions and more have usually been answered by oenologists who can list the subtle nuances of a particular wine and tell you if it's good or not. However, vinters don't have the luxury of waiting until a wine is ready to be drunk to know if they have produced a good, drinkable product. Lorenz "Larry" Biegler, who teaches chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, in conjunction with industry scientists in Chile, is working on mathematical formulas to automate the fermentation process, adjusting ingredients and conditions to ensure robust flavors and higher yields from grape harvests. The researchers have been collaborating for more than two years and are studying only white wines, since reds are more complex and contain solids that make them difficult to analyze."

12 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. My pedantic moment for the day... by KingSkippus · · Score: 4, Funny
    However, vinters don't have the luxury of waiting until a wine is ready to be drunk...

    For the record, the word is vintner, not vinter.

    In Soviet Russia, vinters are wery, wery cold.

    1. Re:My pedantic moment for the day... by B3ryllium · · Score: 5, Funny

      In Soviet Russia, vinters are wery, wery cold.

      Not vhen you drink wodka on a nuclear wessel.

  2. Wine not WINE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Bet I'm not the only /.'er to read "Wine" as "WINE" in the title.

  3. Finally! by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... a non-porn reason to lick my screen!

  4. Bah. by Ruff_ilb · · Score: 3, Funny

    Old news. I've been able to debug my WINE install for ages now.

    And what's this talk about "grapes" and "yeast", are they new distros?

    --
    http://www.TheGamerNation.com/Forums
  5. Under the influence by killmenow · · Score: 2, Funny

    Being under the influence of a goodly sum of wine as I type this, I can surely tell you no computer could possibly tell good wine from Mad Dog 20/20.

    Good wine ~ good art. I can't define it, but I know it when I drink it.

    Oh, and God Bless Oregon.

    w00t! ... (hic...)

  6. Re:Ouch by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 2, Funny
    You can't replace a Van Gogh with electronics.

    Yes, but a pretty picture and a Photoshop filter = Andy Warhol...

    --
    "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
  7. But... by BluhDeBluh · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wine Is Not Ethanol... Oh comeon. Someone had to do it.

  8. You know you should read less slashdot... by Kjella · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...when the first thought is "How else are you going to test wine?"

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  9. Red Wine by Fwonkas · · Score: 2, Funny

    I fear my reaction -- "Of course they could only analyze white wines." makes me a snob.

    Not that I drink much wine anyway. That there is the crazy sauce.

    --
    COMPUTER! Whatever happened to Blueberry Muffin?
  10. W.I.N.E. by Andrewkov · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wine Is Not an Emultar .. oh, wait a sec...

  11. Re:Oh Great!... by ratnerstar · · Score: 2, Funny

    And here I was hoping for LSD wine.

    --
    Just because you sold your soul to the devil that needn't make you a teetotaler. --The Devil and Daniel Webster