For the unfamiliar, winemaking, an industry that dates back for millenia, might conjure some manner of romantic notions: farmers tenderly caring for vines, weathered hands picking grapes, and workers laboriously turning the axle on a wooden crusher. For most estates today, the truth couldn’t be any further than that today. Just like with every other form of agriculture, technology has permeated every aspect of winemaking, and—contrary to what any number of neo-luddites might tell you—allowing people to make better wine. The latest in a long history of winemaking innovations? Robots that automate traditionally human labour.
WEED TERMINATORS
Of the many tasks where robots can step in, it’s usually the repetitive, labour intensive ones that happen first. Weeding is one such task, where unwanted plants in the vineyard are removed so that they don’t compete with the grapevines for water and nutrients; or affect growth by blocking sunlight or harbouring pests.
To do this, one can either mechanically trim the errant foliage by hand, or take the path of less resistance by using herbicides. The chemical solution is often glyphosate, a widely-used herbicide that’s been found to be possibly carcinogenic, toxic to aquatic life, and soil-damaging; with an impending ban by the European Union slated to take place in 2022.
Some of the latest robots in the vineyard addresses this problem, automating the laborious act of weeding. One company, Vitirover, builds just such robots in the heart of fine-wine country, Saint Emilion in Bordeaux. The solar-powered units, for which the company is named after, have been created with the intention of replacing glyphosate use—with promising results.
Denne historien er fra March/April 2020-utgaven av WINE&DINE.
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Denne historien er fra March/April 2020-utgaven av WINE&DINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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New Blood
The next-generation is breathing new life into the forgotten art of spice-mixing, peppering the traditional trade with renewed ideas and fresh perspectives.
Sharing Is Caring
Compared to its flagship at Serene Centre, Fat Belly Social at Boon Tat Street is a classier and bolder affair, in more than one sense.
Nutmeg's Role In Singapore's History
From tales of it being used to ward off the plague in mid-1300s Europe to one of the ingredients in dessert, we have all known, tasted, or at least heard of nutmeg. But not many know of the spice’s role in Singapore’s history.
New And Improved
The ever-profound chef-owner Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida finds more room, three to be exact, to express a Ha Ri philosophy at Hashida Singapore’s new location at Amoy Street.
Pairing Spice-Driven Cuisines With Wine
Pairing spice-driven cuisines with wine has long been a challenge but with a little imagination, it doesn’t have to be.
Let Land Grow Wild
Niew Tai-Ran has worn many hats: aeronautical engineering major, investment banker, avid surfer, and, for the last 14 years, winemaker. Discover how this Malaysia-born, Singapore-native is championing the “do-nothing farming” philosophy at his vineyard in Oregon.
The South Asian Misnomer
Incredibly diverse and varied than most know, Indian food is far more intriguing than butter chicken or thosai. Here is a crash course on the extensive cuisine from region to region, recognisable for the seemingly infinite ways of using spices.
Keepers Of The Spice Trade
From its glory days along trade routes to pantry staples all over the world, spices have become so commonplace that we’ve taken them for granted. For these three trailblazers, however, spice is their livelihood and motivation: Langit Collective working with indigenous rural farming communities in Malaysia; IDH’s Sustainable Spice Initiative; and chef Nak’s one-woman mission to share forgotten Khmer cuisine.
Sugar, Spice And Everything Nice
Like food, spices bring vibrancy and variety to alcoholic beverages. Surfacing in unexpected ways on the palate, find everything from cumin to tamarind, cloves to cardamom enriching these drinks.
Building Blocks From The Archipelago
For the smorgasbord of dishes found in Indonesian cuisine, it is a little known secret that the modest bumbu, in all its variants, is the bedrock of such flavourful fare.
